Resurrection
by J.B. Writer
Summary: Shepard, Six, and co attempt to pick up a legendary soldier from the Forward Unto Dawn.  They arrive too late, a frozen Master Chief being the hottest commodity in the galaxy.  When the Collectors appear things change, a new enemy rises for all to face.
1. Icarus Lives

**A/N: **We are are here. I'll make this fast. This is a sequel to my first story the Spartan and the Spectre (Noble Six centric). It would be nice if you read it but the way I am trying to write this, through the eyes of Master Chief, he'll learn what has transpired as the story progresses either way. In theory you don't have to read the first one. Time line, post Halo 3, pre Mass Effect 2. Here's some facts for those who are just interested in Mr. Chief's side of the story rather than Noble Six.

**Spoiler alert for some.**

- Shepard is a woman, no first name will ever be given in the story.

- Noble Six, a male, (no name) has been here for awhile and is part of Normandy Squad, relative to Mass Effect 1, he arrived half-way through that story arc. His escape from the Lone Wolf level will be explained again in this story.

- The character Rachel is an OC/Cameo, and is responsible for this cross-over via her amazing (crossover written) gifts. She is the vehicle because basically I didn't want a pseudo history between ME and Halo Worlds. Plus she's a cute little girl with Reaper powers and has joined Normandy team! :)

- Someone survives that wasn't supposed to... and it's not cannon. But his survival is explained due to the events of the first story.. and will be expanded on and relived as the story progresses.

Thanks ya'll! Read and review!

* * *

**From one of the many dorms in the SSV Normandy, a personal datapad opens, the words being typed swiftly yet carefully.**

_Hope._

_That's what you all gave us. _

_I've watched you all closely. Each and every one of you. Admiring what you've done to fight the darkness that envelops our worlds._

[An image of the brutal bombardment of_ Reach_ fades in from black, Noble Team pushing through ONI Sword base like a wolfpack of Spartans on the hunt. From behind a berserk Hunter closed in, the Covenant tank hammering even his Grunt allies aside to get to his targets. Noble leader Carter turns, firing against that thick armor but it was too late. Expecting the beast's mammoth talon to take him out, their grey recruit slams into it like a battering ram, thoughts of his own safety nonexistent.]

[A flanking Emile, Jorge, Kat, and Jun don't hesitate, pumping the Hunter with entire clips to its back, sending both Noble Six and the beast careening over the edge. After a hundred foot free-fall, a grenade explosion shocks the entire the lower deck, all Noble team members silent as the flames erupted. The silent moment turns to Spartan banter as their Hyper Lethal member steps out from the inferno with the Hunter's severed arm with a thumbs up.]

_Your skills are remarkable. Your bravery unrivaled. You all are an inspiration to each and every one of us. The pain. The tears. All of what you have sacrificed to protect the things most important. The right to survive…_

[On the planet _Therum_, team Normandy was cornered, being pinned down by an overwhelming number of Geth, pumping rounds from every which direction. Ashley and Garrus attempt to cover their left flank, tossing out their last grenades that stun a few Armature units but are pushed back. Kaiden's biotic field falters as he rolls to safety behind cover. Wrex attempts to tank the blasts while destroying many, but even his armored hide is forced back into cover, courtesy of a storming Colossus.]

[Commander Shepard senses the desperate situation, pulling out her weapon with no sense of panic, jumping out of cover, firing with deadly accuracy, dropping several Prime units. She orders Alenko with a point of her finger, a powerful warp disabling the Colossus' shield. The Spectre closes the distance with inhuman speed, one accurate blast she disables the monster, its head completely sheared off, circuitry spewing out. The Normandy crew was all smiles as she motions them to push on. They knew they had the best leader in the galaxy.]

_You've saved entire populations of innocents. You've changed the fate of the world with your will for victory. No matter what the cost, you all put everything on the line._

[On Earth, the city of _New Mombasa_ was under attack by a relentless Covenant led by the Prophet of Regret. The UNSC marines were giving it all they had but were being pummeled with endless plasma fire. From behind they see the sight of a legend, their glimpse of hope, dashing towards them like a comet. His rifles blared, and his grenades launched, the strongest Brutes attempting to be the one to take him down, each beast failing miserably. It took no time for the green clad Spartan to reach the focal point of the action, a Scarab wreaking havoc upon the city.]

[An inner explosion later and the Scarab was terminated, crashing into the floor, along with the hopes of a failing Covenant army. The 'demon' walks out unscathed, a few Elite allies chuckling and shaking their heads— being on the other side of this legend's unrelenting assault a few too many times. The UNSC marines give their Chief a "Hoorah!" knowing they had a chance at the impossible as long as John-117 was alive.]

_Now that you all are here, in the same place to draw strength from one another. Together you will form a bond so strong that very few can challenge. But nonetheless, there's a feeling deep within me of fear._

_The consequences of this unity will breed a darkness that will block out any light; even as bright as the ones you all have given us. A malevolent force is coming that none of you have ever experienced before._

[Images of a Reaper army devouring planet after planet flashes across, an evil being in the darkness loomed over it all alongside four ominous figures. The galaxies allied efforts were failing like the Protheans before them… no mercy shown.]

_Hope my knights in shining armor... _

_Can you give us all hope… one more time?_

**Mass Effect/Halo: Resurrection**

(Artemis Tau Cluster)

In the dimly lit hallway of the SSV Normandy, across from the hangar bay, a reflective Spartan helmet glows between two gloved hands. Noble Six eyed the precise curves, the signature visor, ogling all those familiar details that reminded him of what it took to become a Spartan in the first place. The torture, the death of friends, the mental anguish – all this to become freaks of nature, to protect all that humanity was. He was part of the 3rd Spartan protect, the Beta batch of Spartan-III's that were more or less created for a glorified suicide run, not unlike the prototypes that were birthed from the 2nd project.

Spartan IIs were their best. Hasley's batch as a whole was much tougher overall, their training and process exponentially more brutal. The Spartan-III project was more monetarily and marine friendly in comparison, not exactly a cakewalk process and some even had risen to a Spartan-II type level, such as most of Noble Team. Six had been thinking hard about his relationship with the best of the second project. It was no surprise to him that there were two Spartans left in the entire galaxy (or galaxies) – the best Spartan-II, and the best Spartan-III.

Both were rated Hyper Lethal indeed. Noble Six may have had a similar level to the Chief but in his mind he'd never be on the same echelon. Master Chief embodied what it meant to be a Spartan of the UNSC army, winning every honor and medal a Spartan ever could dream of. Six was the killer in the background, none of the honors or medals… just blood and a shadowed history ONI deemed too secretive. They both were expert assassins. It was just what John was able to do with that trait that was the difference.

Six didn't want to be on the level of Chief anyway. He never wanted to be. He idolized the him. John-117 was the reason he wanted to become a Spartan in the first place. He heard the stories as a child, then he got to see the legend in action with his own eyes as a Spartan himself. With that opinion, Noble Six convinced himself and the Normandy crew that this was a necessary risk. He was one of the few to see what the Reapers had planned for both their worlds with his encounter with Sovereign.

They needed _the _weapon that ended the Covenant War.

_I hope you're up for this Chief…_

"Knock, knock," a familiar voice sprung, breaking thoughts of Noble's past.

Six spun his helmet around, fastening the Mark V mask to his armor, that air tight connection hissing. His interrupter was so teasing in her tone. "You know, you wear that helmet so much I think I'm going to have to start calling you chrome dome."

Six amused his mind with the nickname, walking out to the light. "That wouldn't be the worst thing you've called me Lieutenant."

Ashley Williams, decked out in her own bright armor, tapped the Spartan's chest in a gentle shove. The two had their playful moments, even more so recently. "You've been a little quiet lately. Worked up about the whole warping of a super soldier into another galaxy thing?"

"A little bit." Noble Six droned. "I have faith in Rachel but I just hope I'm making the right call telling her to bring him here."

"You know it's the right decision Six." Ash smiled at Spartan reassuringly, reminding him of what Sovereign nearly accomplished just by her innocent stare. "... Anyway Shepard told me to fetch you. We're closing in on the blip." She made a pondering face as she imagined the incoming UNSC ship. "Things don't just pop up on cue like that. The crew is about 99.9 percent sure that was the _Forward Unto Dawn_."

Six still couldn't believe the whole dimensional teleporting thing, the vehicle that saved his life and brought him here like a mysterious miracle. Then again he couldn't believe he made the call in bringing another Spartan to the mess that Shepard and company had to deal with in this world. Six suddenly had a creeping feeling overcoming him.

"When Rachel got me here she had a Reaper breathing down her neck and his energy to back her up." He was thinking the worse as the two began their walk to the navigation deck. "I just hope that Chief comes here… well," he gulped, "Intact..."

"Positive thoughts." Ashley shuttered at the thought of being disassembled by a reality warp. Thus were the rules of inter-dimensional travel.

Even for a miracle working anomaly like Rachel it wasn't as simple as pin-point locating a being and teleporting them. Gathering dark energy took time. Making sure the actual transportation was a success took even more time. Without Sovereign's aid it's taken months to gather the energy and intel to rip a hole into their dimensions with any accuracy, hopefully Chief and the Dawn being taken with it and arriving all in one piece. From a biotic's prospective, it was basically increasing gravity so much in concentrated spot the size of a penny so that reality imploded into itself… not the exactly safest way of travel.

Six and Ashley still remember when Rachel was explaining what was happening to Commander Shepard. Her incredible abilities weren't too far off the concept of the Covenant's slip space technology. Realities had multiple layers, Covenant and UNSC ships cutting a tenth of those layers to accelerate their travel, popping back up like a submarine that had submerged underwater. What was happening during an inter-dimensional jump was a complete tearing of all those layers – sending whatever was in the energies path entirely to a different world like a vortex in the shape of a blue sphere... the size of a planet.

There are more risks involved. One for instance was the fact that Rachel had very little control where her inter-dimensional traveler ended up. When Noble Six arrived with the dead Covenant carcasses in the Phantom, Sovereign's Reaper radar (a much more accurate detector than any Alliance detection system) found them in a matter of minutes. This was a bit more complex for the organics. It's been a few hours.

"I'm excited Spartan." Wrex interrupted their entry to the main deck. "I can't wait to have another one of _you _on board." he chuckled. The Krogan was leaning at the entrance calmly, his hump resting against cold metal. He was decked out in his assault armor, preparing for entry upon the UNSC Frigate. Six noticed Garrus, Liara, and Tali weren't here yet, probably preparing their own breather suits.

"Trust me I can't wait till this is over," Six took a look at the command console where Shepard was standing. "… Let's not celebrate till he's actually on the ship."

"I'm just saying that I hope this guy is as deadly as you say he is." The Krogan barked. "You can't work up an Urdnot about war stories and then disappoint."

"You won't be disappointed. I guarantee you that Wrex." Noble scoffed at the thought. He too was eager to see what a battlemaster would think of a Spartan legend. Wrex only stood as cool as he always did, imagining the things he could learn from this brand of super soldier.

"I'll hold you to it Noble Six."

A few steps forward from an excited Krogan and Ash knew the entire Normandy crew had a buzz to it. The stories Rachel and Six told of this Master Chief had been the talk of the carrier for the past weeks. Not only was this yet another inter dimensional visitor, but they were getting someone that Six claims eclipses his abilities. Even Shepard, the calm and cool Commander had a fresh optimism that was radiating like a beam of light from the stars. Another Spartan to meet meant more help. Another weapon against the Reapers.

"Noble Six and Ashley Williams my favorite couple..." a teasing grin erupts from their Commander, "... of Lieutenants." She finished timely.

"Real cute Shepard," Ash puffed with an arm crossed, and a sigh. "Real cute…"

A wink and laugh later, Shepard as always, was at command, overlooking the entire mission from her favorite spot on the Normandy. Operation: Recall was locating the Forward Unto Dawn and extracting the frozen body of a super soldier that should be on board. Noble Six met with his superior side by side, nervously looking out the cockpit. He notices the missing transporter herself.

"Where's Rachel?" Noble Six asked. "I figured she'd want to be here to see this."

"She's been exhausted." Shepard remembered the countless days and nights of energy gathering. "I put her to bed. Doing these rips into the dimensional space takes its toll. She hasn't ate anything significant for days."

"Poor girl," Six muttered thinking of the special little tike, looking out to the window. Putting her through that was a bit unfair, but just another struggle to bring what they needed to them. A full power Master Chief meant a war changer for this team.

"Remind me again about this Master Chief," Shepard's eyes stared out as well. "You said he's as good as you right?"

"Better than me ma'am." Noble Six corrected plainly and without hesitation.

"I have a hard time believing that soldier." The Commander brushed off the modesty; thinking of all that she had seen Noble Six do. The Spartan doesn't reply, seemingly his mind isolated on getting the Chief to safety and nothing else. Or he was just pleading the fifth.

"Commander, we've picked up the signal and the ship." Joker said from behind his seat. "The Forward unto Dawn has arrived."

The entire crew including our three soldiers peered on like glorified spectators. It was barely there but a large torn floating structure was definitely visible, Six instantly recognizing it as UNSC technology. It warmed his conscious a little to see something from his past world. Even in its destroyed state, the carrier was torn completely in half as Rachel told them it would be. There was about to be an elative sigh of relief. Joker was about to kill the elation.

"Commander we've got a problem." Joker was double checking the monitors in disbelief.

"I know…" Shepard's eyes suddenly grew in worry. "Those other ships aren't supposed to be there…"

The markings on ships told of the dire situation.

"… And they're not Alliance!" Noble Six's nightmare situation beginning to form.

From the distance a few crafts with no identifiable markings apparently have already docked the Forward Unto Dawn, assumingly to do what Shepard and company were set out to do. Joker picked up at least five or six smaller sized carriers, not being able to detect a familiar signal from them either. Shepard strapped on her N7 helmet, Six and Ashley following her with urgency as the Normandy was on emergency mission protocol.

"Joker get us down there fast! Ashley gather up the squad! Six you're with me! We need to get Master Chief picked up!"

"How can this happen?" Ashley made her way to intercom to prepare the team for boarding. "I mean, we knew the coordinates first! We brought him here!"

"This ship is bugged Shepard." Noble Six's slammed his fist in anger into the wall. "Or someone on this ship ratted this out. Those were mercenary ships!"

"It doesn't matter right now Six! We need to get down-"

_**BOOM!**_

The entire Normandy carrier quavered as if it was hit with a typhoon of energy, every crew member nearly losing their footing. Shepard grasps at a doorway to keep balance while Six grabbed onto Ashley as she was about to skid. The ships alarms begin to go off, the entire crew manning battle stations as their ship rumbled. There was panic. The Normandy had never been hit with something significant like this before.

"W-what now?" Ashley held onto the Spartan as her crutch, emergency lights flickering.

"_Commander we're under fire! Going into emergency maneuvers!"_

"Joker!" Shepard yelled out, pulling herself back to the cockpit. "What's happening? Are they attacking?"

"_No… it's not them… and it's not the Geth!"_

From the depths of space a leviathan approaches the Normandy. It was the deathly image of a Collector ship, a floating fortress of pestilence that dwarfed the crafts beneath it, heading straight toward the wounded SSV Normandy. Its massive canon begins to charge, closing down its prey. Joker tries his best to use evasive techniques but they seem futile, another energy wave cuts through the Normandy like butter… mortally damaging it. The sparks began to fly, the fuel cells began to leak. The Collector battle cruiser was making short work of their beloved vessel.

"Shepard!" Liara was running past an evacuating crew, dodging a few sparks, seeing her Commander helping others off the ship. "We need to leave! Priestly says-"

"Liara go now! Get to an escape pod!" Shepard shouted at her with no regard to her own safety. "I need to help here!"

"But-"

"I said go now! And that's an order!" Shepard' eyes drew fire. She couldn't even think of Liara dying because of any of her own hesitation. No lovey dove sensations was going to stop her. She needed to stand firm and cold.

"I… please… just get to safety Shepard." The Asari bit her lip, her heart pumping, praying for the best. Shepard watched her take off, a bye not even exchanged, a moment of regret sinking in her stomach.

_Bye Liara…_

"Let me go! We can still save my baby!" Joker flailed as Noble Six had him by his collar with one hand.

"Shut up Moreau this thing is done for!" The Spartan tossed him in the escape pod with T'soni, making the pilot yelp in pain. Ashley stumbled over as the ship shook again, looking at her two fellow soldiers.

"Come on let's go!" Ashley demanded. "What are you two waiting for?"

"I'll be fine." Six grabbed her by her armor lifting her up. "You need to get in there. Don't talk back right now because we have no time for this."

Ash's face was in disbelief knowing what this idiot was doing again. "… Oh no you don't! Not this super hero crap!"

"I can survive this!" Six suddenly shoved her in, slamming the door shut, smashing the escape pod and sending them off. Ashley looked on hopelessly as she left the Normandy, staring out to the Commander and her Spartan. Her eyes don't leave them, the girl angrily throwing a fit as she flew out to space.

"Commander, we need to get to Master Chief." Six turned. "I'm responsible for him! I told you to bring him here… damn it… I'm responsible for all of you as well! This was my idea. You need to get out of-"

"Spartan this is no time for this." Shepard grabbed him by his shoulder plate. "We need to get out of here now and regroup! We'll get the Chief eventually! That's are only viable option,"

"Y-yes… yes Commander." Noble Six calmly breathed, it was one of the few times he'd lost his cool. His own safety never made him on edge. It was the ones around him that got his heart going.

"Now is the rest of the crew out? Garrus, Wrex, and Tali?"

"Yes I saw them take off. Almost everyone is out, I saw Chakwas leave as well…"

There was a pause. Both of them gasped in horrid realization as they didn't account for someone.

"RACHEL!"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

From beneath the Normandy, a girl's body laid limp on the floor, blood running from her head as the ceiling caved in. Rachel was in bad shape and unconscious, apparently not being able to make it out of the room before collapse. Noble Six and Shepard hit the telepath's dorm with desperation, the Spartan busting his way in with his bare enhanced hands, tearing the entry off and slamming it flat.

"Rachel!" Noble Six shouted as his head on a swivel. "Where are you?" he tosses a chunk of debris away.

"She's here Six!" Shepard ran to the girl, the Spartan and Spectre pulling off a chunk of the ceiling. The Spartan picked up the young girl as Shepard put a breather mask over her face, the ship's pressure and oxygen levels dropping rapidly. The young girl's chest compresses, blood trickling down her purple bangs.

"She's breathing." Six sighed in relief. "She's only unconscious…"

"Good, now come on! We need to get to that escape pod!"

Shepard ran alongside the torn Normandy, the two soldiers noticing the entire exterior casing was dissolved to nothingness. Whatever was attacking them was a vicious and overwhelming craft, with technology that they just couldn't match. The two were floating now, almost swimming along the edge of the Normandy's burning skeleton.

"The Dawn is still there." Noble Six notices at the corner of his eye, although the mercenary ships seemed gone. It was a great probability that Chief was already taken, the sick feeling in Six's head returning. That Frigate held their best hope for victory…

"Come on Six, we've got no time! Move!" Shepard shoved the Spartan into the pod. A loud ear-piercing hissing noise erupts into Shepard's ear.

What happened next was in slow motion for the Commander. Shepard felt the energy forming on the Collector ship ready to unleash itself in one final strike. She gasps, looking at Six who is screaming at her to jump in. The decision was instant, this brave young woman no victim to hesitation. She smiles, mouthing a few words to him, smashing the pod's escape button, sending Rachel and him off into space.

"Shepard!" Six yells out, slamming at the window, helpless as his pod careens off to safety, the Normandy becoming more distant by the second. The moment reminded him of Jorge as he descended to Reach, the Spartan in disbelief it was happening all over again with his Commander. It was his fault this was happening. His gamble with Master Chief. His doubts rain over him as he watches with regret, the Normandy shatters with the last attack, explosions lighting up dark space.

Silence…

"_I trust you Six… it's all up to you now…"_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Almost a Year Later...)

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"_Master Chief… can you… hear me?"_

_"Hello? Come on wake up!"  
_

Cold.

It was too cold.

John-117 had awoken from plenty of cryo-sleeps before. He'd become an expert at it as far as he was concerned. The Pillar of Autumn's escape came to mind, his speedy recovery from such an awakening having to be some sort of Spartan record. This time felt a little bit different from all the other awakenings though. This time it happened way too fast and without any injections to aid in the recovery process he was feeling the effects. His chest and body burned of minor frost bite; the ice in his armor still there, the painful shivering in his bones pulsing as his blood fought to run through his body. His targeting system was slowed, his consciousness returning like a receding wave.

"_Chief! Are you there?"_

John could feel it, albeit a bit numbly with his hands. His pod was broken, the glass that covered him shattered into a thousand pieces below. On a more positive note his vision was coming back, the Chief noticing a strange sight before him. He was glaring down a large mechanical beast staring right at him motionless, arm inches away from his chest plate. It wasn't anything UNSC. It didn't look like Covenant. But he knew one thing.

This is what woke him up.

John-117 put two and two together. This wasn't a routine awakening. His freeze pod's structure was compromised, sending his Mark armor and Spartan body into an emergency recovery state. Master Chief slumped over, landing on all fours catching his breath as his systems began to recover rapidly. He hears a mechanical ring from above, the mech's eyes suddenly glow, retracting its arm, pulling up its rifle, walking away in a machine's stomp. It wasn't deactivated after all and it wasn't a threat.

"_Come on Chief give me an answer…"_

"W-what's going on… who is it?" Master Chief finally replied cooly to that radio signal, his heart rate slowing down, targeting systems working its way to optimum capacity.

"_Hah, I knew you'd be okay sir. You wouldn't be you if you weren't. It's Three Twelve sir. Spartan B Three Twelve."_

_A Spartan?_

"Can I hear that again?" Master Chief got to his feet, staring down his alien surroundings.

"_I know it's a lot to explain. But I am indeed Spartan B312."_

Master Chief blinked another for good measure. He just had to go through confirmation protocol before anything else. "Confirm who you are soldier."

"_I am Three Twelve from Spartan-III Beta group sir. I was planned to serve on Operation: Torpedo but ONI pulled me out before deployment. I was stationed on Reach as it fell. My lead in command was Carter-A259, I served alongside Catherine-B320, Emile-A239, Jun-A266, and Jorge-052. Noble Team all going MIA as we delivered the package to Keyes on the-"_

"Pillar of Autumn," Chief mumbled in disbelief. He was speaking to a ghost. "Spartan B312… Noble Six, you're supposed to be missing with that entire strike team."

"_And so are you sir, Hero of the Covenant War. Heh, you're recovering fast. Not bad since you've been in cryo-stasis for more than a year at least I'm sure."_

"A year?" The Chief was now his full self, shaking off any kinks as his armor began to inform him of his status. Everything was running up to normal. He was about to speak again but…

"_Sir, I know you have a lot of questions but right now we need to get you out of here. You're going to see things that you've never seen before. Technology and aliens that you won't recognize. Ignore it. I tell you what to shoot at, and you do. Ask questions later. We can't get to you, the system's shutting us out."_

"Fair enough Spartan, looks like I don't have much of a choice." Master Chief attempted once again to get his bearings with a clearer head. From what he could tell it looked to be a prison of some sort. A laboratory/prison with tables and robotics, syringes and pseudo arms seemingly to do things Chief would rather not think about at the moment. From the side he sees some glowing holographic terminals that were strange, and above he sees a transparent glass with voices shouting inside. He had visitors.

"H-how did he get loose?" A Salarian Scientist yelled out from behind the screen, pressing buttons on one of those holographic terminals, nothing seeming to happen. "That Mech is not supposed to be online! It's that damn A.I.!"

"I don't know but we can't let him escape!" A Batarian Blue Sun mercenary screamed, motioning his heavily armored cronies to head down. Chief's eyes instantly targets at their weapons and protection, the forms and shapes not ringing any bells of the technology he was used to.

"Looks like I got company Six." John-117 began to creep towards the door.

"_What do you have on you Chief?"_

"Me, myself, and my armor…" He replied like his usual stoic self.

"_Looks like you'll have to get yourself a gun."_

"… Already ahead of you."

The Blue Suns barreled into the prison in attack formation, scanning around with weapons ready to unload. Their Batarian pack leader stomps in afterward, growling and snarling through his many nostrils. "He's unarmed and hiding! Find him and we'll get him out and sell him ourselves! What are you waiting for? I'll-"

_Crack…_

His members were suddenly in shock as his neck bent a bit too far, breaking in half, the Batarian falling limp. Before the Blue Suns could react, heavy fire from a rifle cut through them, in seconds the entire room falling silent, a makeshift Blue Suns grave yard forming. The Spartan unsheathed his stealth armor in a brilliant crackle, now finding his first new generation weapon. Master Chief was armed and ready to rock.

"_It's nice to see you do what you do Chief." _Noble chuckled. _"What you got there is Volkov Assault Rifle mark IV."_

"Whatever this is," Master Chief notices a Batarian attempt to run off out of the corner of his visor, sniping it in the back without even turning a big thump signaling another kill. "I like it…"

"Damn it! I didn't get paid enough for this!" The Salarian scientist from the upstairs control room cried out, dashing off at the sight of the Spartan's kills, dropping anything he had on his body including his blaster.

"_Keep going up the stairs, and make a right. You might run into some resistance but it's nothing you can't handle."_

"I know I'm not supposed to ask questions but where's Cortana?" Chief couldn't ignore the fact that he didn't have his friend with him, running towards the destination. "She was with me on the Forward unto Dawn."

"_Like I said Chief, don't worry about it. Just get out of there and I'll tell you everything."_

Chief was a bit annoyed but trusted that voice. He sounded like a Spartan for sure. John-117 put his scrambled thoughts aside one more time, ducking underneath a few tables as the corridors were filled with tech that amazed and puzzled him. Mechs, completely A.I. controlled units were walking around like a sci-fi movie, this seemingly some sort of secret base that the UNSC didn't tell him about. He remembered the wrinkled up alien he had just killed though. How would that be explained? The questions kept popping up like an unwanted webpage but it was inevitable.

"_Chief you got some baddies on your way to your left."_

The Master Chief may have been warped through dimensions but he was at home on any battlefield. Two Krogans roared, charging him, ready to take the Spartan out. The size difference didn't faze John one bit, the dual battlemasters derailed by an entire Volkov clip to their bodies. As one of them fell forward, his momentum was stopped completely, that ugly face totally smashed by a clothesline with a reinforced rifle.

The Krogan's shotgun flips into the air, the Chief catching it with his free hand, finishing off the other by blowing a hole through its skull. A few mercenaries glance at the bloodied jade Spartan as he turned his attention to them. They look at one another, sighing depressed at the display that overwhelmed their sights. They dropped their weapons and took off cowardly like the doctor did before.

"_Ouch that has to hurt. You're as good as advertised Chief. You're not too far away from us! Take a right at the next *BOOM! BOOM!* Ah crap! Saren look out!"_

"Noble Six?" Chief heard only static on his side, groaning. "Great… just great…"

The Spartan-II didn't break concentration and followed the directions, running with a furious pace. He suddenly swerves to a stop as he sees trio of Asari Commandos, these three having figures that made him do a double take. The pause almost got him. He wasn't expecting some strange purple energy to nearly take his head off, shattering an entire row of glass behind him. The Asaris, while they weren't Brutes in the looks department, apparently could put a hurting on someone like one.

"Get him now!" The lead Asari began firing, only to be silenced as a round cut right through her neck. The purple alien gasped, blood running down her shielded tight outfit. The other Asaris flinched, a fatal mistake, the same happening to them, all three collapsing to the ground. Chief walked over eyeing those Asari corpses. If there was any hope for an easy answer it just was beaten silly while it was already down. He knew he was in a place that couldn't be explained so simply now, understanding why Noble Six told him to hold off on the questions.

_**KATHOOM!**_

An explosion rattled the room, the Chief ducking into cover in a scramble. He hears footsteps entering the room heavy and deliberate. John silently hugged the wall as he made his way pass the intruder. He sees the figure drop his guard, an opening calling out for him to take it. John-117 leapt at the figure, grabbing it by its arm and twisting, smashing the victim to the ground. He presses his gun to its head about to fire.

"Chief hold up!"

John-117 peaks up to see a sight he hadn't seen in a while – the features of one such as a Spartan himself. He glares at a familiar MJOLNIR armor, although a variation he had never seen before. All gun metal gray, sharpened edges, with red energy emitting from it from an upgraded power source. He takes a glance at bladed markings that were around the Spartan's body, roman numerals from I to V…

_Noble Team markings…_

"What are you waiting for? Tell him to release me!" An angry Turian demanded from beneath, causing John to hold him down harder by reaction, being pressed down at gunpoint.

"Alright hold your horses Saren." Noble Six poked at the Turian, kneeling down with a smirk. "The Chief didn't know." He motioned for his fellow Spartan to let go. Master Chief shrugged clueless but let him go after staring at the strange alien below for a few seconds. The former Spectre shook off the attack as he stood on his feet.

"You Spartans are the most trigger happy beings I've ever met." Saren cracked his arm back into place with a grunt. "That includes the Geth that I commanded."

"What can I say? We're bred that way." Noble Six was proud of his Spartan heritage, walking over to Master Chief, looking up at the taller soldier. "I'm glad to see you sir. We've got a lot to talk about I know, but just before that, I think someone wants to talk to you." the grey Spartan slowly reached behind his head pulling out a little disk, handing it to John.

The Chief had a bit of relief as he saw it, even more so than seeing another Spartan alive. That blue image that had accompanied him to his path to victory in the Covenant War. That voice that made him feel like everything was going to be alright no matter how bad the situation.

"_It's good to see you again Chief… Got any room up there for a girl that's missed you?"_

Six sighed. "You know sir being her little host for the past few months... I think I can safely say the girl likes you a little too much..."

John-117 holds her in the palm of his gloved hand, the A.I. shooting into his system once again. "... Don't I know it."

For the first time, for both Cortana and Chief, it felt a bit like home. Six and Saren knew they had found their jackpot of a team member. Cerberus was about to get a shot in the arm that they could never imagine.

_"Don't listen to Six, he's just jealous..."_

"I'm sure..."_  
_

_"Alright John... let's blow this this place and get to work. I've got a lot to fill you in on..."_

"It's good to be up and going again."

_"Heh... Well you did say wake you up when I need you..."_

* * *

**A/N: **So the dream team is about to be in place... Saren, Noble Six, Master Chief... and guess who. :)

And since I have assembled such an awesome squad... just imagine the enemy... oh I can't wait to unleash it upon them. Thanks for reading my friends!


	2. Racecar

**A/N: **Wow thanks for the support everyone. Chief is here and I am excited as well. Saren's story is something that I always wanted to tell. Just an excuse to redeem the fallen Spectre myself! About Master Chief romance options... I'm open for ideas. I hear alot of Miranda/Chief so... we'll see. Six's/Shepard's relationship with the past crew will be fun and unlike the game will be TESTED in this story.

About other Spartans from Chief's past appearing, I don't think any will... but read on, who knows. The main story arc is in my head and it has a lot of wiggle room. The chapters will be longer in this story than in Spartan and Spec only because I can finally run a little more wild with my imagination.

R & R my friends!

* * *

For Cortana it was a dream come true.

For Noble Six it was an honor.

For the scoundrels inside Haven… it just hurt a damn lot.

With Chief on board, the thousand men strong army, which included some of the best Krogan Battlemasters and Asari Commandos money could buy, had met their match. To put it bluntly they were being treated like some warm up exercise, their numbers dwindling exponentially with each passing second. It was the result of a double edge sword of tactical precision and brute force. As far as Cerberus was concerned, rescuing the Chief was already paying off dividends. A good investment to say the least.

"We no run! We have numbers!" A vorcha Blood Pack hunter tried in desperation to rally his troops, most of them high tailing it out of the room in defiance. "Do not run brothers! Argh!" its shriek pierced.

Perfect accuracy and excellent timing are the keys to gunfire no matter what you were wielding. It was just routine for Master Chief, unfamiliar tech no excuse. In vintage 117 fashion, John took out two armored mercenaries along with the vorcha, one perfectly timed shot as they crossed doing the trick. These incendiary rounds were clearing through armors as if it were cutting through paper.

"_Not bad for an unfrozen ice block."_

Master Chief shrugged off Cortana's own playful _shot_. "… Could've used this kind of gun a long time ago."

Always taking no credit…

_Same ole' Chief… _

Being inside the head of the Spartan of her choice, Cortana hadn't been all smiles like this in quite a while. Unlike Chief she had been living in this world and dealing with the stark revelation of another galaxy for almost a year. After Shepard's death, Noble Six made it first priority to find and retrieve the remains of the _Forward Unto Dawn_ in deep space. After a few days luckily they found the ship intact, Noble Six and the Cerberus rescue teams discovering the A.I hanging on by a thread in the ship's control terminal.

Literally hauling the entire Dawn to a remote base, they told her she was mumbling incoherent thoughts, yelling out at times for John for hours. Cortana knew she was spiraling into rampancy but she never knew it got that bad. After that turbulent travel through a wicked trans-dimensional slipspace and later when she sensed Chief was taken, it was almost the last straw that broke her.

Thankfully Noble Six wouldn't let it. Cerberus quickly went to work, succeeding in reviving her to a state of 100% capacity, similar to her state before her encounter with the Gravemind. The digital reconstruction of her cloned mind aside, it was a promise that pushed her to beat her rampancy. Six promised her that he'd bring John back. Six had already made good on that promise once before… now it was twice.

_It's sure nice seeing my two boys playing together._

A mercenary screams.

Noble Six and Master Chief were sure playing alright. They were playing a game their enemies didn't want anything a part of, a Batarian meeting the two best Spartans with deadly trauma; one gray and one green Spartan elbow each shattering his mask in half and severing his jaw. Cortana winced at the sight, any sort of warm thoughts she had about her two boys stopped for that one bloody moment. That double strike would've made even the most battle worn Krogan cringe.

_"Keep that head of yours on a swivel Chief because I'm working on a little going away present for these boys and girls that captured you."_

"A gift huh?" Chief notices Six and Saren sending a Krogan jolting across the entire room with some sort of pulse from their strange wrist tool. "Looks like the rest of the rescue party is beating you to the punch."

The elite team atmosphere brought it back. Chief's memories of what it was like to work with other Spartans were realized once again. At the same time with Noble Six and Saren Arterius watching his back he knew that this was no _Blue Team_. John had never seen a biotic warrior at work before, and as Saren lifted an entire group up and crushed every bone in their bodies with one rumbling telekinetic slam, even the Spartan legend was in a dumb stare. Purple energy flowed through the Turian's eyes as he finished off the group, crackling energy from intense concentration, an intimidating image indeed.

Saren was a new Turian with a lot to prove. Not only had his run in with Noble Six save him from his Reaper fate but his forced alliance with Cerberus had changed him. With his ego and specism tempered, the once longest serving Spectre had become as dangerous as he had ever been, even without a Geth army behind him. Saren's raw power was only rivaled his obsession – his bleeding desire to atone for his past mistakes.

"Six has an interesting partner in crime." The Chief got into cover, firing off rounds that hit their mark with little effort.

"_Meaning non-human?"_

"Something just tells me he didn't warm up to aliens in this world too quickly."

"_The exact opposite actually," _Cortana contradicted him._ "He was rescued from a hi-jacked Phantom after he jumped galaxies; over half the squad that welcomed him with open arms consisted of aliens. I think the Covenant could use a lesson in manners from them."_

"Good to know," Chief would remember the thought, knifing one more assault rifle round through a straggling merc. The final shot created an eerie silence, only one more shuttering human making any noise, apparently the last one standing. This base dubbed _Haven_ had been deemed impossible to infiltrate and come out alive. This trio proved that wrong in less than twenty minutes.

"L-look y-you got your Spartan back and killed my squad! Have some mercy!" The only one left standing out of pure luck was one of the leads in the Master Chief's body hijacking, the Blue Sun's lead in command Vido Santiago. Apparently hiding helps people survive intense firefights.

"How many dead people have asked you for the same thing?" Noble Six had him at gun point, the cowering leader backed into a wall. "Besides, you and your cronies making me look all over for Chief for almost a year? Now you want me to just let you go like nothing happened?"

"Y-you've killed many of us, taken all our funding and credits." Vido spat. "What did you expect to happen? We needed this!"

"What? … Did I kill your plans for that three story bachelor pad you've been dreaming about on Ilium?"

"Argh!" Vido crumbled to the floor, grimacing. Fact, a rifle smash to the shoulder could crack bone with the right amount of force.

Master Chief slowly came over, staring at the enigma simply named Noble Six. Chief remembered clearly as ONI ran B312 through the paces long ago. He was such a young gun back then, being trained on Onyx like the rest of the Spartan-III recruits. He heard the rumors. The top dogs told him that this Spartan B-312 had the potential to be the next John-117. From what the Chief saw that day he gave the same assessment and then some. He honestly thought 312 had the abilities to maybe even surpass him eventually.

For the longest time not a word was mentioned about this Spartan until his appearance on Noble Team. It was scary how much better Noble Six had become since. B312's tools were only sharper now, probably even surpassing his old friend Frederick if John had to venture a guess. Not a bad comparison to who Chief always deemed to be the closest to him in all around skill. With this new armor, right now, Chief had never seen a soldier like Six. He was as deadly as they come. A lot more calculating and surprisingly that quiet young kid with high hopes on Onyx had become one cocky Spartan leader in this new galaxy.

"Y-you're being nonsensical!" Vido gasped clutching his shattered shoulder blade, struggling to a leaning stand. "We had to make our payday! W-what were we going to do? Wait till there were two of you to do this to us later with no payoff?"

Six ignored the sob story. "I'm not feeling the sympathy." The Spartan's words felt like judgment day, his gun barrel now pointed directly between those frightened eyes. "You mess with one Spartan you mess with all of us."

"… B-b-but you got him back!" Vido, the once proud merc was trembling like a baby, trying to talk his way out, his chest pumping, sweat pouring. His life was either flashing before his eyes or Noble Six's armor's energy was off the glowing off the charts.

*click*

"… I guess you're right." Noble Six let down his gun much to Vido's happiness in his desperate breath of hope. He turned to Saren who was walking out of the artillery bay, a frustration emoting from his Turian squadmate. "Find anything?"

"There's nothing here of interest to us Spartan." Saren was diddling around with his omni-tool all business. "Either kill him or leave. This place is useless."

Noble Six put his assault rifle to his back, the weapon compacting itself and magnetizing. Apparently a little mercy seemed not too unreasonable. "... I'm feeling good today Vido. You're a lucky man. Like you said, the Chief is here."

"Yes he is." Cortana smiled approvingly at the news, appearing on the Chief's shoulder in a seated position.

"Tell your Blue Suns, Eclipse, or whatever gang of the month you guys feel like forming what happened today as a warning." Noble Six's voice darkened. The Spartan pulled up his wrist, now typing on his own omni-tool. "Is it ready Cortana?"

"Yes sir."

"… W-what's ready?" Vido stumbled back, eyes as wide as a wounded puppy.

"You've got five minutes before this entire base is dust vapor." Noble Six froze the bumbling baddie, abruptly pulling out his Spartan modded pistol and firing it at Vido's knee cap. A painful yell later and Vido hit the floor in agony clutching his injured limbs, wincing as he crawled with his life on the line. It was a pathetic sight for the once mighty leader and neither Six nor Saren could have given less of a damn.

"Come on Chief, we'll answer your questions on the flight back." Noble Six gave a mini salute, almost forgetting what he just did. "It's been too long of a wait but it's good to have you up and going sir."

"Thanks..." Master Chief's cybernetic voice like his mask hid any of his perplexity. Six followed Saren out as the two began to chuckle.

"Five minutes huh?" Saren was all amusement, emitting his dark laugh as he exited. "I would have given him two." The Cerberus duo faded into darkness bantering back and forth. Chief didn't move a muscle just yet. He had to recover from the display of cold bloodedness for a second, staring at a crawling Vido.

"Six is a little worked up isn't he?"

"_He worried about you Chief." _Cortana initiated the bomb for ignition. "_He put the safety of the team that saved him just to get to us. Not only did he lose you the day but when we arrived, he lost a dear friend trying to retrieve us. These guys don't deserve any sympathy. Besides he told Vido five minutes but really gave him thirty."_

"Just worrying about the kid too is all." Master Chief began to move, glad that Six wasn't exactly a maniacal vigilante just yet. No matter how great of a soldier you are a calm head meant everything. That's what gave Chief the strength to win the Covenant war. He just hoped Noble Six had picked this up through experience.

"_This wasn't exactly the vacation I was expecting after you saved the world either Chief. We have a lot of work to do."_

Work instead of relaxation? Honestly this Petty Officer First Class wouldn't have had it any other way.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

On the Cerberus dropship Master Chief listened carefully like it was a debriefing from Keyes. The story unfolded for the second Spartan to see this new universe in the manner of a tall fable. Noble Six told John about the mysterious intergalactic jump that saved his life. He told him about Shepard and the Normandy crew, the ones that saved him. He revealed the Reaper threat this galaxy was trying to prevent, Sovereign's failed possession of him on the icon that is the Citadel, the stark reality of what the Reaper was trying to accomplish.

Noble Six came under influence of a Reaper. Saren came under influence of a reaper. They both knew the synthetic mantra. Upgrade their slave armies and attempt to breech not only this galaxy but the realm Master Chief just recently saved. They had to be stopped. Bringing Chief here was a necessity born from Reaper insanity.

"… Well that's the simple story anyway." Noble Six exclaimed with a stretch. "I'm sure Cortana could give you a more detailed briefing."

The image of the said construct appeared in the middle of the carrier on cue, popping up from the terminal created just for her. "The war with the Reapers can be just as bad if not worse than the Covenant Chief. Noble Six and the Normandy crew risked it all, bringing the both of us here to help them pull of the impossible."

"And I really don't know who else is better at that than you sir." Noble added.

The Chief didn't dwell in the least bit. "Spartan, if you tell me that I'm needed in this war then I'm in." John accepted the role as quickly as Six did when Shepard needed the help. The trust between Spartans was infallible and this example was no exception.

"I wouldn't risk another Spartan's life if I didn't think this was necessary." Noble Six reassured, still surreal that he was sitting here with the legend himself. "Uh... this inter-dimensional warping is strange right? I'm still trying to get my head around it, but-"

"The same rules apply to any situation." John peeked out to the galaxy outside their carrier, the stars glimmering as clear as any place he had been in his own galaxy. "Get your bearings. Don't be delusional. We have no time to question."

"Only time to deal with it." Six finished for him like a true Spartan would. It was nice to see another one of their kind for both their sakes. Having the two best ones just made it that much sweeter.

After a moment John turns his attention to Six's wears, gazing at the markings on this new-age modded Spartan armor that obviously signified his nod to Noble Team. John could empathize with the burden. It probably felt like it did when his own Spartan-II squad fell. Both of them had to bare extra something, representing and putting all of their fallen on their backs. Six was carrying on the name of Noble now, just like Chief carried on the Spartan banner all by himself when he ended that war on Halo.

"I'm glad I'm getting is opportunity." Chief said abruptly.

"Opportunity?"

"... Thanks Noble." Chief extended his hand unexpectedly, Six just looking at the glove frozen in place. "I knew Jorge, he was a good man. And I heard of Carter and the rest. You guys saved the war."

"Chief," Six waved his head and hands, defying any praise. "Without you, all we did would be nothing. You deserve the thanks sir."

"Just accept it Spartan."

Noble Six didn't put up much of a fight nor did he want to and conceded to his superior. Oh what Carter and the gang would have been thinking now. The last two Spartans were shaking hands in a ship not even their own galaxy, the Covenant War behind them. An image that no one would ever think could happen just happened. Cortana whined at the revelation. If she could cry real tears she so would have.

_Thanks for making it count Chief. Kat and the Boys would be proud._

"Ahem… if you two are done reminiscing," Saren took note of their newly completed carrier with no pity for Spartan history. "I think we've arrived." A spec in deep space floated along silently, the replica of the ship an image of what Saren was trying to avoid not too long ago. Its shape and the name that was finished across its hull reminded him of how far he had come since attempting to control the Geth.

"_Approaching the Normandy SR-2 EDI. __Preparing for docking sequence."_

"_Welcome back Ms. Cortana. We are prepared for your arrival."_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Normandy SR2)

Imagine being in the helmet of the Chief for a moment as he entered the Cerberus technological suite. That mask covers your face as you enter a ship that was built in a way you'd never seen before, you wanting to wipe the visor clean to make sure this was no hallucination. So sleek and packed with goodies, holographic terminals galore, and technology the UNSC could only dream for being at every turn. Now toss in an entire crew clapping and hollering at you as you come aboard, a welcome home party being thrown for you but you didn't know a person on this ship.

Chief wasn't one to be overwhelmed very often. He's stared a big plant monster in the face claiming to be the leader of the Flood as cool as anyone could be after all. This universe jump now officially was a bit much.

"They've been waiting for you Chief." Six glanced back at him with a turn of that helmet, motioning for the legend to follow. "We've got someone for you to meet."

"Why are they clapping?" Chief was reminded of the scene when Sargent Major Avery Johnson had him posing for pictures, playing war hero celebrity to give people some 'hope'. Unknowing to him still, ironically he was playing the same role here, even a dimensional rift away.

"Cortana's been playing her video documentaries on your combat tours during the Covenant War." Six explained loudly, having to speak over an entire ship that was a buzz.

"Oh no." Chief cringed at the idea of another public display of fandom. John never saw anything he did as some sort of statement to heroism and it was a bit uncomfortable every time. He was just doing his job and that's all it was to him. No need for the shenanigans.

"_Come on Chief, back home they're loving you." _Cortana thought of the fun ceremonies they could've had._ "Inter-dimensional travel or not you need some time to cherish the victory don't you?"_

"Not really." Chief shut down the notion. "But I appreciate the thought."

"_You…"_

"… I'll be in the research labs." Saren brooded, beginning his walk towards isolation the way he preferred it. The crowd of excited humans was too much for him. He was still _that_ same Saren in that sense. The Turian was too old and cold for the childish exuberance being emitted from the Cerberus crew.

Speaking of children…

"Six!" a young voice called out from the crowd, the Chief spinning his head towards his fellow Spartan. From the darkest corner a young girl in a Cerberus jumpsuit comes running up. She embraced the gray Spartan around his waist in a big hug before Six could even turn. It appeared to John that Noble Six had a little sister on board.

"Told you we'd bring him back this time didn't I?" Noble Six lifted a laughing girl on his shoulder so she could sit, turning to John. "Chief, I want you to meet your ticket to this world. Rachel this is Chief. Chief this is Rachel."

"Wow, you are taller in person," The glasses wearing girl lifted her bifocals, hugging around the gray Spartan's helmet with her free hand. "You are the coolest Spartan… besides Brother Six that is."

"Uh… thanks." Chief didn't quite know how to react to that. He just stared at the purple hair and eyed young lady with the small frame. She looked like a little bookworm type kid that needed a little more time in the sun. Cute but harmless was the only way he could describe her. John couldn't believe that this small little human could do what Cortana claimed she could.

_Cortana's telling the truth John._

"W-what the?" 117 flinched.

"Rachel." Cortana appeared on top of Chief's head. "What did Miranda and I tell you about using your telepathy without asking?"

"I was just proving it to him." Rachel grinned mischievously as Cortana didn't look amused. The youngin' conceded her devilish mind infiltration. "Fine, I'm sorry." Her smile lessened. "... It's great to have you on board Mr. Chief. I'm glad you made it here safe and sound."

"Sorry to interrupt Noble Six but the Illusive Man is waiting for you two." The beautiful Yeoman Kelly Chambers informed at her station. "The Com Link is ready to go."

_Illusive Man?_

"Alright Rae'ch," Six dropped his 'sister' gently to the floor. "The big boss waits me and the Chief."

"What? But you just got back!" Rachel huffed in mini tantrum.

"I'll see you in a bit and then we'll plan our little water balloon trick on Saren alright?"

"You promised! Remember it!" Rachel waved, walking off with a bounce to her step.

Chief turned to Noble Six puzzled. "… That's the person who can send people through reality itself?"

"Yeah, who were you expecting? Harry Potter or something?"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Cerberus Com-LINK)

Chief's head was moving around as much as Noble Six was calmly standing in wait. Darkness eked into an orange glowing grid that enveloped them in a cylinder, John suddenly making out a room with one hell of view. A large empty glass structure covered the blackness of space around them, a glowing red planet that burned like patches of infernos the backdrop to a man sitting in the large structure. Their Spartan holographic images were set upon a shining flat disk, staring at their "boss" behind the blanks glowers of their helmets.

With a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, the Chief couldn't begin to imagine the power and scope of the Illusive Man.

"Looks like we've finally got the Master Chief." A puff of the cigarette later and John was staring at glowing blue eyes of a strange nature. Those eyes literally had targets on them, and they were locked on Chief.

"It took a while but like I said, it'll be worth it." Noble Six stated not so lightly as if he had to say this quite many times. Not that he blamed him. After a year, of course his superiors would be a bit frustrated with non-success after non-success. Paying off informants costs credits, each time a mercenary group would screw another in a deal for the frozen Spartan Cerberus had to switch gears in terms of intelligence gathering. The Chief's body switched hands too many times and that meant time and finances.

"I'm going on your word Six." The Illusive Man took a sip of his hard liquor drink. "We've invested much more than I ever expected going into this. I expect nothing less then what you've said as a payback."

"And what exactly were his words?" Chief butted in.

"Well, that you're the best of the Spartans." The boss sat back comfortably as he spoke with his rich man's flare. "That you are as much as a symbol to your world as Shepard is to ours. Can you confirm any of this?"

"Chief doesn't prove things by talking." Six defended. "He'll show you he's worth every credit and then some." he scowled. "Besides, I've added billions of credits to your flow." Noble Six reminded him of the credits he and Saren had taken from numerous mercenary bases for the last year. "Seems to me like a harmless gamble on your part."

"Resurrection projects costs us just as trying to find your lost Spartan." The Illusive Man stood up finally, walking to the two tall soldiers, sizing up his investments. "But enough talk. Let's see what your friend here can do. I have your first mission ready to go."

"First mission? Now?" Six seemed a bit surprised. "I have to get the Chief to Agent Lawson. We need to install-"

"The precautions and upgrades can wait. There's urgent business at hand and we're running out of time." Their Boss took another huff of that tar, blowing it out slowly, smoke covering their holographic helmets. "Two days ago a Cerberus militia facility was hit. It happened so fast, our mystery attackers so thorough that we didn't catch wind of it until we sent some scouts down there out of silent suspicion. The entire base was cleared out in minutes."

"Collectors?"

"The remains we've found do not correlate with any Collector attacks." The Boss denied. "They've been attacking colonies, not army strongholds. Our defenses would've been able to hold off a Collector invasion at least for a warning to head our way. In terms of survivors there's only one confirmed survivor. He's on the loose and is your target."

"On the loose? One of your own men?"

"He wasn't one of our own men." The Illusive Man corrected. "He was an escaped prisoner, a Drell bounty hunter named Ryand'r Tylon. He must have escaped from the facility during that attack. We assumed everyone was M.I.A. until a reliable sources detected his credit profile being used in a hotel. It was under another alias but datapad descriptions match."

"… So what have you found in terms of evidence so far?"

"We'll fill you in on what we've found once you've found Ryand'r Tylon and questioned him." The Illusive Man walked back to take a seat after satisfyingly close analyzing the newly revived Spartan-II. "You're going to head to Ilium in the lower district of Nos Astra. We've got a bit of information from an old friend of yours, Liara T'soni."

"Liara just _gave_ you the information?" Six asked, knowing of the dark world the once cute innocent doctor was playing in now.

"When we told her it was for you she gladly gave it." The Illusive Man poured another drink. "Time is of the essence Spartans. We got the Chief back now we need to get to work. That witness is integral to uncover this mystery. Without that Drell what we've found isn't enough for any evidence to point to any aggressor."

"Consider it done." Noble Six began to fade out as he stepped away, Chief following suit.

"Oh by the way… Master Chief," The Illusive Man called out to him like he was just some 'other' lackey, getting the new comer's attention before he could leave. He stares down the green glad legend, trying not to be overly impressed with the stories. "We'll be watching you closely soldier."

Chief didn't show any reaction, walking out of the projector answering back just as sternly. "Thanks for the warning."

Cortana sensed his skepticism about Cerberus. _"… You know, I think he likes you Chief."_

"... I can tell."

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Nos Astra – Lower District)

So a rogue Spectre and two Spartans walk into a hotel.

Yes, this sounded like a setup to a bad joke but for our Cerberus trio they were doing just that. The Amagi Plaza was a common stop around these parts. It was a great place for those that wanted and could afford luxury but needed to stay low and away from the lime-light of the main area of Nos Astra. The hotel was located on the outskirts of the big city, being a notorious place for Asari celebrities to enjoy the finer things in life without having to succumb to media coverage. The fact that Cerberus' target was here on a false alias meant that this Drell was running from something. He knew they were coming after him.

"This is the place." Cortana broadcasted out to her boys, reading the dossier. "He should be here under the alias Zyrglox Zan'Cotta."

"…"

"Before any of you ask, lots of celebrities sign in under outrageous names in this place," Cortana explained. "There are enough of them that if you used a normal hotel handle, you'd be conspicuous."

Six patted his helmet. "Hah, I wonder what Saren's celebrity fake alias would be."

"... Don't even go there human."

The unlikely triad made their entrance, the dual gliding doorway made of thick hydrolyzed glass, an epic entry to the glorious hotel, a breeze of artificial fresh air swooping in. The new age building had a rustic feel to it, differentiating from the futuristic designs around the palace, ancient architecture a big influence on its art style.

Chief stayed quiet as usual eyeing his surroundings. The plan for his first mission post Covenant war was simple enough. Let Six do the talking and when they find the target, bring him down by any means necessary, and extract information. It wasn't like igniting another Halo ring and it was the typical Spartan plan for sure in its simplistic theory. But as always things don't go as smoothly as it should have.

"Alright just play it cool and we'll be fine." Six prepped them. "Inconspicuous is the word guys."

"Inconspicuous? Two seven foot Spartans in full-on armor?" Saren grumbled behind his helmet, crossing his arms as he leaned on a nearby post. The mask had been his new signature wear, adorned to prevent alarm. There was no need to explain to anyone that Saren the Geth commander was trying to play good guy now.

"Just let me handle this sunshine." Six walked towards the hotel desk, seeing a cute young human girl with headphones on her head. The red haired hostess seemed to be quite passionate with the pop music playing through the ear pieces, bouncing up and down like a rocker chick.

"Excuse me?" Six waved, the hostess still dancing, oblivious to an almost seven foot Spartan.

*music*

"… Hello?"

*music*

"..."

*guitar solo*

Noble Six was about to lose his patience until suddenly a green/black fist, smashed into the desk rumbling it, the girl looking up finally in a worried gasp. Six gave Master Chief a stare, one that burned a hole through his amber visor.

"You're welcome." Chief gave him back the floor.

"Oh my God!" The girl's voice was about as ditzy and high pitched as any valley girl could imagine. "Y-you're Noble Six! I-I'm soo~ooo tweeting this to my friends right now! Can I get a picture?"

*Flash!*

"Wow there's another one that looks kind of like you too but green?" That red hair curled up in ponytails, the girl shaking as she spoke from the pure fuel of energy drinks. "This is soo~ooo cool. Nothing interesting ever happens here, and now there's two Spartans here at the hotel!"

"Yes but-"

"Oh I'm sorry! My excitement made me forget my job! I'm Rise Kujikawa at your service!" The girl exclaimed in apologetic manner, eyeing them down like test rats. "You three must be exhausted being renegade heroes and saving the world and all that jazz. Three rooms for the night right?"

"Uh look, we don't need rooms and-"

"No rooms?" Rise blinked, suddenly gasping after a dramatic pause. "Y-you mean you guys want to share _one _room? … I guess that's cool…"

Six, Chief, and Saren began to twitch, sensing where this conversation was heading. Saren even face palmed his helmeted head at the ridiculous thought. "Oh God no lady!" Noble Six put his foot down and squashed that thought like a bug. "We're here on important business and we need to find someone that's lodged up in this hotel of yours."

"Oh, that's confidential information." Rise shook her head. "We at the Amagi Plaza cannot give out information of our customers. That's against our policy."

Saren was getting more irritated by the second now, reaching for his blaster. Six sensed it and attempted to push through peacefully. "Look I know you're just doing your job, but we need to find this guy and we don't want to hurt anyone."

The cutie put a finger on her lip. "… I guess you being Noble Six and all I can ask my boss." Rise pressed a few buttons on her terminal. "Yukiko! Some soldiers want to speak with you!"

After a moment another beautiful young girl, outwardly too youthful to be any sort of boss of a hotel like this appeared from behind a curtain. Her graceful movements were shared by her voice. "Hello, I'm Yukiko the owner of this hotel. Can I help you?" she spoke so softly, even in the face of a duo of Spartans and a war ready Turian.

Noble Six was frozen for a second, the girl with black hair and deep eyes, decked out in an Asari outfit that would make any one speechless. An elbow from the Chief later and he spoke. "Y-yes, I need to talk to someone who's staying at your hotel. We just want to question him and we'll be on our way."

"I apologize but we cannot do that."

"I get that but..."

"Oh enough of this Spartan!" Saren growled, stomping over, pulling his pistol, making Rise literally jump in Yukiko's arms. "We're not asking you little vermin. We're telling you, you sniveling loudmouthed-"

"Saren relax!" Six commanded, pushing his pistol's barrel away from them. The Turian was about to lash out, channeling remnants his old Reaper indoctrinated self.

"He's in Room 212." John said aloud, stopping the pre-skirmish abruptly, turning and walking off as cool as he always did. A blue flash suddenly leapt back into Chief's head slot, Six and Saren give each other a stare. Cortana had done the dirty work for them by remotely hacking into their terminals that clever girl.

"Sorry ladies, we'll be out of your way shortly."

"Heh." The owner was not amused. "... Just please leave as soon as possible."

"And call me sometime Six!" Rise grinned big, "Here's my number!" She tossed her datapad at him, the Spartan catching it reluctantly. "Oh and if that tall green one wants a double date I gave you Yukiko-Senpai's number as well."

"Rise!" Yukiko's eyes turned into fire.

"… W-what?"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Moments Later)

_CRASH!_

The sound of glass shattering signaled a Drell leaping from about a good two stories up. The daredevil gracefully landed on the roof of the lower level, rolling all the way down to the ground below like a high class ninja. The alien's joints absorbed any impact easily, dusting off his casual clothing, assuming he was a free Drell. From above laser fire soon erupted, a jade figure leaping from the same height Ryand'r did, diving through the busted window he created.

"Unbelievable." The Drell fugitive hissed, staring straight at a Spartan missile heading right at him. Taking off as fast as he could down the busy street ways of Nos Astra, Drells were notoriously amazing free runners, that's why their symbiotic relationship with the Hanar worked out so well. But to see a heavily armored foe move as fast as he did was unsettling Ryand'r quite a bit.

"Out of my way!" he shoved a few Asari to the floor, desperate in his escape.

"_Chief he's heading south." _John heard Cortana keep him updated as he too crashed on the floor, crushing the ground beneath with six thousand pounds of inertial force. The indentation and debris left a few bystanders wide-eyed.

"This alien moves as fast as Elites." Master Chief noted; the Spartan making a b-line after his target, avoiding pedestrians as it was a chase off into the night.

"_Drells are masters of movement. They're frequently the elite assassins in this world, including having the best assassin among their ranks. It's nice that you can actually keep up Chief but you better get to him now, looks like he's got a backup plan."_

"Got it." Chief picked up that pace as the target broke into one of those futuristic floating cars, tossing the human owner aside. John-117 closed in, lunging at the air car just as it took off, smashing into it, car particles scraping off as it clashed against MJOLNIR armor. The Spartan began to slide back, creating sparks on its smooth finish, staring at a thousand foot death plunge below. His super grip once again saved him like it did on the Forward Unto Dawn, clutching onto a groove with one hand as he was now soaring above Nos Astra in air car traffic.

Definitely not the same as commandeering a Banshee.

"_Hold on Chief!"_

From below Noble Six got to the scene a second too late, staring upward as Chief was dangling in a death trap. The Spartan pressed his intercom. "Saren come in! The target is in an air car, the Chief is hanging on to it. Don't know how much longer-"

Another air car suddenly pulls up next to him with a roar, the doors opening, a screaming passenger darting out. The driver (or carjacker rather) Saren didn't even make eye contact. "Just get in…"

Back above, when Chief first saw the skyline of Nos Atra he was a bit amazed he would admit. But this clearly wasn't the idea he had when he wanted to take a closer look at the sights. Soaring around at a not so brisk hundred miles per hour across the air traffic, weaving back and forth was a driver a maniac trying to shake off a hanging Spartan. A screech came close to Chief's ear, the Spartan feeling the rushing wind, narrowly missing him was another air-car. The thought of a pancaked Spartan-II was not something Cortana had in mind.

"_Hold on John! I'm trying to hack into the car's engine. It might take a minute!"_

"Don't know if I have a minute Cortana." Master Chief began clawing his way up, gouging the air-car's protective layer with his powerful grip, making it to the rear of the craft after a few pulls. Chief sees the Drell's dark black eyes in the rear view mirror, a few blasts from a pistol crashing through glass, being absorbed by his shields, although sending him careening back to the bumper again. Master Chief's momentum wasn't helping, a sharp turn sending him curling along the bumper, hanging now on the door of the driver's side.

_This isn't good…_ John got another glimpse of the car's trajectory, projecting Ryandr's motions with his calculating brain. He knew he had to move fast, the Spartan pulling himself up in the nick of time again as Ryand'r attempt to crush the Spartan against a building. The car pitched to the left, running its edge across a Nos Astra office tower. Sparks and more car finish began to peel off along with glass and metals from the building. Rebounding off the pitch, another car against the traffic scrapes the passenger's side almost cleanly off, sending the innocent driver crashing into another building in a combusted explosion.

"I got no time for this, innocents are getting involved." More pistol fire forced John-117 to roll to the passenger's bumper. "Cortana,where are the engines located on this thing?"

"_Underneath the car towards the hull! But you can't disable it like that! We'll go in an uncontrollable free fall!"_

"I'll take my chances." Master Chief pulled out his rifle, swinging underneath, aiming for the hull and unleashing a massive amount of bullets into the area. It punctured the energy cells instantly, the engine beginning to smoke as the fuel cells dripped energy, engulfing the Chief's vision, the air car now in a frantic descent.

"_Great you stopped him. Now what's the crash landing plan?"_

"It'll be fine." Chief was always so damn calm but as they were careening towards the loading district uncontrollably, Cortana once again had to be the worrier of the two. Nos Astra's locals began to scatter as they saw the on fire craft head their way like a smoking fireball. Master Chief grabbed on tightly to the shell of the car bracing for impact.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Crash Aftermath)

It was a pulsing headache for the Drell as his bleeding arm pulled his injured body out of the flaming wreck. The car had crashed through the home of an upscale Asari councilor, half the car through its living room which was up until now tidily kept. Ryand'r glances around grimacing as rolled over the side of his vehicle, hitting the ground with a limp thud. He breathes a sigh of relief even with his wounds. At least that Spartan was not on his tail anymore.

"Hey there."

Of course he was wrong.

"Ungh!" Ryand'r's beaten body was slammed into a wall, all the air knocked out of his reptilian lungs. Master Chief wasn't someone to mess with and this world was going to know it real quick. Noble Six and Saren approached from behind guns pulled out and ready for an interrogation.

"Nice of you two to show up." A scraped up Master Chief glanced at his group.

"Hey, someone had to deal with the Krogan bodyguards for you to play hero again." Six grinned noticing Chief's new beaten wears. "Don't worry about the armor by the way. I got something better for you back at home base."

"... Can't wait."

"W-what do you want from me?" Ryand'r yelled out, grimacing as his injuries were only worsening with the rough treatment. The Cerberus group had their target pinned and now it was about extraction.

"You want to live you better answer real fast Drell." Noble Six warned.

"And you'll let me live?" Ryand'r scowled insulted. "Hah! You lie as well as you kill. I saw what _your _kind did to my Cerberus capturers. You think I'm a fool?"

"What do you mean _our _kind?"

Saren blinked confused as Six was. "You mean humans? Human mercenaries attacked the Cerberus complex?"

"No, I mean _your_ kind." The Drell pointed weakly at Six and Chief, making Saren look at the two Spartans with the most confused stare he had ever given. Ryand'r was not amused with their false cluelessness. "What is this some kind of joke? As if I wouldn't recognize these armors you wear?"

"Drell, you say you saw armors like the ones these two are wearing right now?" Saren stepped into command with a more curious tone now rather than his usual threatening demeanor. Right then and there Six and Chief knew they were onto some discovery.

"... I've never seen such skill." Ryand'r spat out a bit of Drell blood, his eyes flashing deep as he ran through the Drell photographic memory of what happened to the Cerberus base, reliving it like he was there. "They moved so quickly like you. They kill as precisely as you. They were relentless like you. They left no one behind. Not a trace…"

He stared at the two Spartans, his memory slowly dissipating as his eyes dilated.

"More Spartans?" Master Chief turned to Noble Six. "Are there more Spartans here that you didn't tell me about?"

"N-no sir!"Noble Six denied earnestly, walking up to the Drell, grabbing him by the throat. "You better not be fucking around. You're telling me what attacked the Cerberus base were like us?"

"D-does it look like I am in a position to lie?" Ryand'r gagged with a heavy sigh at his constricted neck, coaxing his shattered rib with short breaths.

Chief and Six gave each other a look that entailed a bad feeling. Rachel didn't mention any other Spartans arriving from the other dimension. Noble Six began to assume these were impersonators but with an entire Cerberus militia squad disappeared without a trace, these were some formidable pretenders. What could have looked like a Spartan and attack a Cerberus base head on like that besides… another Spartan?

"Cortana, link me up with the Normandy." Six stared at the Drell with a haunting glare. "We're bringing up the target for more questioning. The Illusive Man is going to want to hear this."

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Top Secret Research Base)

Miranda Lawson stared at the computer terminal with a stressed out look. On the image to her left was an also as tired Jacob Taylor in a hologram form, both Cerberus agents with their plates quite full. For Miranda it was the Lazarus Project that was keeping her up at nights, not to mention the added work of Spartan research with the arrival of Chief and an incumbent Noble Six. In fact next to her about ten meters back was a new MJOLNIR armor that was just completed, a dark emerald revision that she, Six, and Cortana had been preparing for a certain Spartan-II that had just arrived.

For Jacob his stress came from a much more haunting exposé. He had been pegged as the lead investigator on the recent attack on their training's facility. What he found were only more questions and one disturbing image.

"This is something else Miranda." Jacob was still at the scene of the crime. "One minute an entire base up and gone without a trace. Never seen anything like it in all my years."

"... I'm also surprised how late we found out about it." Lawson turned to Jacob finally as she completed her last type up. "Also didn't the base on Mavigon house some of the best soldier prospects we had?"

"Yes, which is why the Illusive Man is frankly pissed off. Hundreds of our best recruits gone in a flash," Jacob began using his omni-tool. "I sent you an image of the only physical evidence we found a minute ago. Did you take a look?"

Miranda just nodded blankly, indeed staring at this image for the past minute, dragging up yet again the pictures of a dismantled Cerberus base. There was only one piece of physical evidence Cerberus found besides damaged tech and it was on the wall, marked in the dry blood of assumingly dead Cerberus agents. The enhanced biotic got chills when saw it, nothing like Jacob who was actually there, smelling the stench of the dead but having no bodies to correlate it with. Written in dried blood like a calling card was

_The time has come_

_The Immortals will rise_

"Immortals..." Miranda's eyes rolled across the crimson words and the brutal imagery, imagining what caused it, or rather who wrote it. "I just don't like the feeling about this."

"... Yeah I went through this with the Illusive Man already." Jacob rubbed his head, seeming to want to get off the subject at least for the moment. "How are things on your end?" he curved the conversation. "Any good news?"

Miranda gladly shifted gears. "Well I just finished up the last documentations on the new armor for Master Chief." She leaned back in her chair stretching. "We have another surgery for our subjects in the Lazarus Project coming up in about an hour. So, I'd say everything is going according to plan."

"Can't wait." Taylor crossed his arms. "Even with these active Spartans, I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get." He watched as the Cerberus team on the base was salvaging any parts left over.

"Don't worry Taylor. The Chief is here." Miranda smirked at the computer terminal's information. "And like I told you before, even more help is coming soon."

With a press of a button, a dual door opens from behind the biotic beauty; smoke releasing from the anti-bacterial vapors that covered two bodies encased in air tight capsules. The re-structuring projects of a man and woman laid side by side, to the outside of them two MJONIR Spartan armors preparing to be fitted.

_**Spartan IV Protocol**_

_~ Lazarus Project ~_

_Subject One:__ Jun-A266_

_- 95 Percent Complete_

_- Spartan III to Spartan IV Upgrade Complete._

_Subject Two:__ Commander Shepard_

_- 92 Percent Complete_

_- Spartan IV Conversion Complete_

_

* * *

_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

**~ Shadow Broker Feed ~**

(Two Days Ago: Cerberus Base on Mavigon)

_*ksst* Do you fear… God?_

_*inaudible groans*_

_I asked you sinner… do you *ksst* fear God…?_

_*Suddenly a woman screams a piercing cry*_

… _You better believe you should fear God…_

_*static*_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Hehe, hope that surprised some people. Any Spartan number suggestions for Shepard? And Jun is returning! ... It wasn't the plan but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. So, Six, Shepard (Spartan), Master Chief, Saren, and Jun are the 'main' crew for this story.

This is the last chapter Pre-Mass Effect 2 stage... the next one will pick up with you know who's revival. All party members will be in the story, so the five above are just my dream team.

And the enemy will be sick to counteract this all powerful group. That I promise you.


	3. Four Horsemen

**A/N: **I got some great questions that should've been answered about Shepard.

- Shepard is neutral for the most part... being a Paragon or Renegade at certain points.

- Council will be mentioned at some point in story.

- Looks of armors for Noble Six will be kept barebones because we all dressed him up differently. Like a macho Barbie Doll... Frightening thought I know.

Enjoy!

* * *

_~ Miranda Lawson's Personal Log ~_

_Cerberus Classified: Spartan IV Protocol_

_A game changer. That's what it was when Noble Six came to us. He was desperate. A living weapon with no one to pull the trigger for. After Shepard's death and Normandy crew's disassembling, he knew he wouldn't be an Alliance puppet. They're too busy trying to look "good" to get things done he said to me. They wouldn't go that extra step that convinced him to give them his services. Nor did he trust the Council who turned their back on them before Sovereign laid the Citadel to waste._

_The Illusive Man jumped at the deal and coerced the Spartan quickly. We gave him access to all our resources in trade for his services. We promised that we would revive Shepard if he retrieved her body. We would do the same to Jun his old squad mate, the Spartan corpse confiscated by Alliance special ops for research. Also with this Master Chief… we gave him every tool in the world to retrieve his frozen body from bounty hunting mercs. (Note: Just got back tests on Master Chief and battle analysis. Six was right and then some. He's something special. More than worth our troubles.) _

_The turning point was when we recovered the damaged A.I. Construct named Cortana, using our knowledge of real world brain rehabilitation from our Lazarus research we replenished her using our digital remodelers. With her unbelievable mind we were able to convince Noble Six to delve into his Spartan gifts. We learned everything about these advances soldiers of the UNSC, how they ticked, how they worked. We had full readings and layouts, given to us by Noble Six himself… even I couldn't believe he was willing to give us all that information, even letting us dissect his very body and armors. He even convinced Cortana to give all she knew… who was reluctant._

_It's surprising how we've improved what this UNSC has started. Their building blocks were incredible but with our help these Spartans have become nigh unstoppable. The human aspects of these specific subjects are still the most impressive; not very many can survive what they put their bodies through. I guess desperation breeds these special people. Noble Six knows the horror of a Reaper attack first hand. It's because of him we were able to amass this new Spartan project. I don't know what this means for the future of humanity… but as of now the power struggle has swung completely to us. _

_The Illusive Man wanted a savior? Another dimension… and a little luck later, we gave him four. _

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

All senses came crashing down upon the Alliance hero as if the sky itself fell. It truly felt for a resurrected Shepard like she was being born again for the first time. Taking her first conscious breath in almost a year and a half, her sparkling eyes opened to a surplus of blinding lights. As her bedding shook, it was quite fitting for a celebrated war hero like herself to be awoken by the rumbles of heavy artillery. A bit too fitting if you would ask her right now.

There was a mini migraine but it was manageable. Shepard felt at her ginger head, sitting up much easier than she actually expected. Her last memories were feeling her insides being torn apart as she fought for air in space after all. Even in her slightly dazed state she had her bearings – this being a semi-miracle. The voice yelling to her was an instant recognition. That accent and bite could only come from that Cerberus agent she met long ago on the battle for the Citadel.

"_Commander, listen to me! Your helmet and weapons are in a terminal bay to your left! Get a move on! The base is under attack!"_

"… Lawson is that you?"

"_There's no time for questions Shepard. We need to get out of here! Move it!"_

Outside the enormous observatory window pane above her, intense crimson beams cut through dark space, the fragments of battle making itself well known. It didn't even take those innate soldier instincts Shepard was taught in her early Alliance days to listen to Miranda's stark orders. There was a war going on and only the dead would reason rather than react. Shepard rolled over with haste as if she had a berserk Krogan on her tail, feeling weight on those joints for the first time as she stood.

She power walks over to the terminal bay, opening it with a touch of the floating sphere. Besides how insanely light she felt on her feet, the items awaiting her made her go into shock mode. She grew as silent as night. Shepard gazed on with her cute face in a skew, taken back as she stared at a helmet she wasn't used to. A dark carved helm literally from another world, calling out as if it needed a partner in crime. Sleek, inviting, and tinted, she glared at the mask made famous by an old friend.

"Six, what did you do while I was gone?"

The helmet connected with that signature hiss across her neck, fastening airtight. Shepard's realization made her body tingle, a feeling of energy running up and down her that she couldn't quite explain. Exteriorly she began to let it sink in, noticing her that her body was decked out in a jet black armor, hugging her perfectly in every which way. The armor looked as heavy and protective as a tank yet felt so light like it wasn't even on her. Heavy onyx hued plating covered her ample chest, cutting across more flexible material underneath. White and red trimming that was reminiscent of her old N7 armor told of her past, but the features and design screamed something else entirely.

Mass effect driver energy flowed through the suit, straight through its blue lighted power supply, giving her a luminous radiance that bared little resemblance to Spartan's of old. The MJOLNIR suit felt alive as she couldn't explain but she felt her body was communicating with it regardless, being a symobitic partner as she told herself to move. Shepard felt unreal – powerfully unreal even in her steps. Not only was she alive but with this renewed body and armor she felt like could take on the entire Reaper force herself.

Shepard eyed her grip enhancing gloves, feeling the instant reaction from brain to armor. This is what perfect coordination and reaction felt like. She was told by Six that many believed a Spartan combined with these types of armors were the ultimate weapons. The reality was real and a breathtaking revelation.

"_A present from Cerberus and Noble Six Commander. Now can you kindly move?"_

A small smirk broke on the Commander's restructured face. A seizing of the rest of the armaments followed that warm reflective grin, magnetizing the weapons onto her armor at the familiar points as Shepard made her push out of the lab with incredible speed. Enhancements aside, the circumstances of what she had become and where she was were secondary. She knew she'd been brought back from death or something near it. There was no time to waste. This all had to count for something.

"Alright Lawson where do I head?" Shepard's pistol was upholstered.

"_Someone's hacking security, Mechs are trying to kill everyone in the base. We need to get you to the shuttles. We have a few friends waiting to rendezvous with you down the hallway." _

Shepard kept her pistol up and going, her mind telling her where to aim like never before like a computer aided system. The new Spartan stuck close to the walls as the entry way ignited with disruptor rounds, her body almost anticipating the blasts that were to come. As expected the sliding entrance exploded as Loki Mech units began to take aim at her. Usually Shepard would have taken cover and methodically pick these inferior assault droids apart. Something inside her wanted… no begged, for a much more definitive statement.

"Alright let's see what these upgrades can do…"

She was like a five a year old girl the night before Christmas, or rather a vampire slayer in the darkness of the night. Out of antsy reflex she charges them with a speed she had never felt before, bursting like a rocket towards her targets. Those Spartan shields took the brunt of the blasts as she hammered rounds into Loki targeting eyes, splitting their head units apart with an accuracy even she couldn't believe. Three more appear from the entryway, the Commander congratulating them by ramming her fist straight through one Loki like it was clay, its mechanical insides now seeping out for all to see.

_Not bad._

The vibroblade enhanced knife on her chest was unsheathed, tearing apart the last two with one swipe of their necks, doing her best Noble Six impression. It wasn't even a second as she then took off, darting out of the room like a blur, an instant before the out of commission Mechs hit the floor in junk heap piles.

"_Look out Shepard!"_

The Commander heard rumbling steps that shook her new Spartan greaves. She finds four Heavy YMIR Mechs stomping right after her, about two tons give or take of angry soon to be scrap metal, closing in a bit too quickly for comfort. They were about to unload incendiary rounds on Shepard until she saw one driven completely off its legs as if it was hit with a missile to the chest. Never leaving an opportunity hanging, she pulled out her assault rifle and began laying cover fire, staring at the emerald "projectile" that gave her the moment she needed to pump them full of disruptor rounds.

YMIR Mechs, also called heavy assault droids, were made to dismantle small elite militias. One soldier, a Spartan-II, was cutting up these heavy Mechs like they were toy robots. In fact Shepard had stopped firing about a half clip in, quickly noticing that her helper didn't need any aid. Those overgrown tanks never stood a chance.

"_Looks like our newest Spartan's awake." _Cortana perked up, the last Mech short circuiting on the ground.

"Commander Shepard." John-117's larger than life presence sized up the newest Spartan, looking at the female warrior with his experienced eye. When Noble Six told him what he had done with Shepard, creating another Spartan outside of the UNSC brass' supervision he was skeptical. Spartan's needed the training and preparation for these implants to work correctly, and for a soldier to survive the process. Six told him that Shepard been training to be a Spartan unknowingly since the beginning of her Alliance career… she was as worthy as any Spartan candidate back home.

Apparently he was right.

"You're Master Chief aren't you?" Shepard returned the admiring stare, getting that signature simple nod as a reply. Her head was angled up at the noticeable height differential; the titan of a Spartan above her just had a radiance that demanded respect about him. Same thing many have said about her as well.

"I'm glad you made it to this universe safe. Looks like Six came through for the both of us."

"He did well." Chief's amber visor glared down at her. "I've heard only good things about you Commander. Glad you're adapting fast. Welcome to the Spartan ranks."

"Thanks… it's an honor." The Commander felt it, getting the blessing and welcome from who she had been told was the icon and pinnacle of the Spartan project. It felt silly after all she had just done in terms of combat prowess and armor enhancements, but hearing that from the Chief for some reason vindicated the fact. She _truly _was now one of them.

Suddenly both of the world's best heard a screech, the duo of Spartans turning and firing a round off so fast the naked human eye would barely see it. The desperate attack of a half-working YMIR mech failed, the two Spartans splitting its head as quickly as its backup energy kicked in. The sight was frozen in the YMIR's mech last data image, the Chief and Shepard side by side; blasters pointed at the same common and now defunct enemy. Anyone who dared challenge would remember this image quite well.

"_I think you two are going to get along real well Chief." _Cortana almost felt sorry for the mech.

The two were proven heroes, both anointed to save their universes. It felt surreal in nature but they both knew what it was like for one another. The bond and pressure of such expectations made them instantly and inherently empathetic. Even with those emotionless helmets, no words needed to be said to emit the respect.

"Ah, I knew you two would get along."

Apparently no one was happier than Noble Six.

"You are a sight for sore eyes…" Shepard broke a grin that nearly hurt her face at the stunning sight of her grey teammate. The Spartan walked into the room with a disassembled Loki arm in his hand. The grey Spartan tossed it to the side like a bad habit – almost forgetting that he had torn it off of a mech that Saren forced into a death float.

"Glad to see you up and going Shepard." Six's excitement was contained, being followed by a certain Turian and a camo-ridden Spartan, none of which Shepard paid any attention to.

"It's been way too long." Shepard showed no disconcertion to their rank differential or Alliance etiquette suddenly embracing Six around his neck, more like family than a squad mate. Chief smirked to himself, remembering what Cortana said about the team Six met and the relationship that was formed, how he had found his home here rather than being ONI's odd man out. He began to see it with his own eyes.

It was like a little brother that had made his big sister proud but Chief took notice about something else. For Noble Six it wasn't all fun. He was gagging, not really knowing what to do. Shepard had already forgotten she had some strength enhancements.

"… Shepard you're choking him." Chief droned.

"Oh… s-sorry…" The Commander laughed nervously, letting go of that plated neck, so giddy inside she was about to burst. "I gotta get used to this Spartan thing right?"

"Obviously," Noble Six shook it off all smiles, seeing his efforts finally being physically realized. The sight of Chief and Shepard together gave him the feeling of ultimate accomplishment. "I'm just glad you're back Commander."

"… It's good to be back." Shepard exclaimed with relief, as images of her death were thrown into the abyss. She remembered her final moments, saving Rachel and Six as crystal clear as she could see. It was a gamble that paid off, one of many for this risk taker's life time. "I knew I did the right thing. I knew I could trust you Six."

"Oh about that," Noble Six crossed his arms suddenly, his nostalgia fading away like a train that had just passed the station. "You ever pull anything like what you did on the Normandy that day ever again I'll-"

"Alright," Shepard shut him up with a face palm on his helmet visor. "I get it." Noble Six obliged the hint. He was satisfied with his point anyway, returning the Commander's appreciation with a big nudge. He turned his attention to his crew.

"So you've met Master Chief." Six moved along, pointing to the camo-Spartan behind him. "This is my fellow Noble Team teammate, Jun-A266, Noble Three. We brought him back… well for kicks."

"For kicks… right," Jun mocked the playful jab, bowing his head on cue, sniper rifle across his chest. "Luckily for me apparently these Cerberus fellows were offering a two for one resurrection special. Good to see you don't have any defects Commander. I'm pretty sure they forgot a few bones here and there for me but I'll manage – always good to have another Spartan on board ma'am."

"Another funny one. Heh, good to have you alive too Jun." Shepard smiled at the talkative Spartan, recalling the static video Tali pulled up from the Phantom ship that year ago. She remembered how Jun and Noble Six worked together to commandeer that Covenant craft on Reach, orchestrating probably one of the greatest escapes in Spartan history with a little help of fate. Noble Three was so close to living through the improbable escape, his dead body reappearing along with the entire ship in Titan. She was happy, mostly for Six that his old teammate was back.

"This is really happening." Six muttered to himself.

What were the chances Chief, Shepard, and Jun would all be standing alive next to him be comparable to? Winning the lottery three times in a row? Getting hit by lightning four times in a row? Coercing the almighty Saren to become a good guy?

…

"It seems we're both hard to kill aren't we Shepard?" The dark voice finally rang, the elephant in the room making itself known. The Turian's unmasking made Shepard's good will disappear like a literal specter. Just like old times.

"Saren…"

"Heh, oh boy," Noble Six quickly came in between the two before anything could start, Saren only amusingly staring down his arch rival with a cocky grin. "Look Shepard-"

"I don't want to hear it." She put her hand up, more annoyed than enraged. "This Cerberus, Spartan, not being dead thing is already tipping my boat. I have a feeling what you're about to tell me about _him _is going to push me over overboard." She grabbed her gun staring at the Turian with unforgiving eyes. "Obviously he's working with you. Let's just get out of here and sort things out later."

Six breathed a sigh a relief for no fireworks. "Sounds good to me…"

It wasn't exactly intuition rather than heightened senses. Something told John that they needed to get moving. Chief heard some noise from behind, a trickling hint of footsteps headed there way. A yell from a pathetic fool later and all Spartans and Saren were on their guard, triggers ready for the worst. What they saw really didn't cause alarm, more of a comical stir.

"DamnitDamnitDamnit… Damn it!" A Cerberus employee was hobbling down the hallway, taking a turn into the room of Spartans.

"Wilson…" Noble Six growled the minute he realized who it was.

"Oh no… Six… I-"

A bullet through the head silenced the limping traitor.

"Was that necessary Six?" Shepard turned with a puzzling glare, not really expecting him to pipe a wounded victim like that.

"If he didn't I would have."

From the corner of darkness sauntered in a calm Miranda Lawson, blaster in hand, and of course that body of goddess always on call. The Spartans (mainly the males) watched the figured woman strolling to them, not in the best of moods from her cold stare. Jun and Noble Six didn't really care either way. Chief on the other hand was a bit more controlled.

"Someone wanted all you Spartans dead." Miranda looked down with no pity to the bleeding corpse below. "He was a two faced liar."

"All Mechs have been disabled by the way." Cortana appeared timely. "There shouldn't be any more troubles guys."

"Thanks Cortana." Miranda smiled at the blue image sitting on Master Chief that she had grown to befriend, only to growl at her inner thoughts with a smooth mood swing. "God damn that Wilson. We could have lost everything."

"Lost? A group of mindless machines to take out a group of Spartans?" Saren pondered aloud in mocking thought, looking out to dark space. "Sounds to me like this isn't the end of it. We better get moving. That is… unless you Spartans want more turbulence to the road of safety."

With a nod, the Spartan crew thought better of their urge.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Cerberus 2nd HQ)

It didn't take too long for the shuttle to get them into Cerberus territory, Miranda and Jacob's main building of operations not too far off from where the Lazarus project was taking place. The secret hub of Cerberus was as hidden and confusing as any treasure, coiled within the depths of a deep mountainous range. The Cerberus crew couldn't believe their eyes as four Spartans were walking around their work space. The fact that Shepard was back was one hell of an icing on the cake.

"Alright Miranda, take care of him as I run systems check. I have the exact MJOLNIR tuning file ready to go. My Chief's a little picky when it comes to his targeting system." Cortana was inside a Cerberus terminal, talking through to the physical world. "With Jun and Shepard back up, Cerberus can use all its resources for intelligence. God it's a mess in here by the way. EDI wasn't in charge of this was she?"

"You just go do your thing Cortana." Miranda was at the research bay, looking into a glass container with the Chief inside. "I'll make sure your Spartan is running at 110 percent."

"You be nice to Miranda alright Chief?"

"Just be quick." Master Chief replied with his usual half there muster.

"I'll miss you too." Cortana disappeared with a wink.

The cylindrical device began to spin around John like a funnel as Miranda typed up to run the auto-tuning program Cortana pulled up, beginning to refocus the suit's inner crystal structure and targeting system. These new MJOLNIR armors were still a work in progress even with heavy testing from Noble Six. Spartan-IIs were built a little differently from him, and no here really could emulate Chief. Beyond the usual repairs they were doing some tweaks to his systems. These weren't exactly to UNSC specs. With improvements come the headaches. For one, the targeting system felt a bit too 'helpful' for John's tastes. Chief wanted a good amount of control… his skill didn't need the added help.

_~ Spartan System Re-Calibration Initiating ~_

The systems began running an analysis check and edits with flashes of light, Chief just looking straight out of the glass tube. Saren as usual was sitting at his desk in isolation, doing his own tweaks to his gear that only he understood. Down the large Cerberus chambers was the Com-Link to the Illusive Man himself, Shepard in there having to meet him like Chief did about a couple of months ago. Shepard and John had their quick meeting of their own and it was already decided. There was not to be a power struggle. Chief understood that this was Shepard's world and he was a 'guest' here. All Spartans would answer to her… she was their leader.

To the left of where they actually met that was Noble Six's quarters, dubbed the Spartan Armory, multiple suits hanging from inside the wall in isolated hanging containers. Six's old MJOLNIR armors hung there, so did Jun's and the Chief himself. The collection wasn't too impressive in John's eyes.

Chief was old school. With him, putting on a MJOLNIR suit was just a tool. Whatever the UNSC thought would be great for him he'd gladly obliged. Noble Six was a different animal entirely. He lived and breathed armors and research. Rumors had it that B312 would spend days putting his suit together, running through as many variations as he could till it felt just right. The wall of armors told everything. Six had about thirteen reiterations… Chief had one. A different school of thought, both get the job done quite well.

"I still can't believe I'm alive." Jun's helmet was off, the bald Spartan staring as Noble Six tuning his omni-tool, teaching him the ropes of the new tech.

"We made that promise on Reach." Noble Six was typing up a storm on his terminal, linking it with Jun's Omni-tool. "It's good to have someone from the team back."

"Yeah, we made it didn't we?" Jun chuckled, still pumped at this chance. "I don't care if I had to get spit through three dimensional voids. Learning that Chief beat those Covvies, and being alive? Well, this is some sort of dream. Our old teammates would be quite pleased."

"Carter would be a happy guy that's for sure." Noble Six finished up his final tuning adjustments, Jun staring at the orange energy emitting from his hand. "And I know Jorge would be grinning ear to ear knowing we were with the Chief himself."

"It's real. Noble Team lives on my brother." Jun extended his fist that wasn't glowing. "I feel bad for these Reapers for what they're going to have to deal with."

"l don't." Six smirked as they bumped gloves.

"Now we're even by the way." Jun-A266 grins admirably. "I save you on Reach. You save me in… well… you get the point."

"Never liked debts Jun…"

Master Chief heard the youthful Spartans banter from far way with an inner appreciation. Not only was he happy that remnants of Noble Team somewhat remained intact. But hearing the Nobles talk reminded him what it was like in his beginning stages of his Spartan career – the same camaraderie with him and his old friends that had fallen in battle. Fred, Linda, Kelly and the gang. He wished all those guys would have this chance. A second chance at doing what they do best. If anything all he had seen in this world had given him hope. With all that had happened to Chief and Cortana, the miraculous dimensional jumps, resurrections… maybe someday…

"Always this quiet aren't you?" Miranda wedged her way into the Spartan's thoughts.

"I didn't know I was expected to speak." Chief answered back nonchalantly.

"Well not saying anything's wrong with it." Lawson didn't mean to step on his toes, seeing with the Spartan could do after all. "Just wondering if it's just your personality or there's something not clicking between you and our set up here."

"You mean your organization?"

"If you want to be specific…" Miranda rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"… I'd rather keep that to myself for now." John-117 bit his tongue. He knew that this girl was no Miranda Keyes. This one's attitude was more along the lines of a Brute if provoked. Miranda had the urge to keep poking the Spartan with her curiosity stick either way.

"… You don't trust us do you Chief?"

John half obliged. "I appreciate what you've done for Noble Six and Jun. I appreciated what you've done for me and Cortana."

"But you _still _don't trust us." Lawson curled her lip in minor annoyance.

"No." Chief stated plainly.

"So spending all this money for the survival of humanity? Bringing you back from captivity? Saving Shepard? Helping Noble Six? Rebuilding your AI construct? Don't actions speak louder than words?"

Chief wasn't a loudmouth but he always chose the little words he said carefully. "… My problem is with your brass."

"The Illusive Man?"

"If _he_ is in fact the one that is running things around here." Master Chief while known as a quiet killing machine certainly was no brainless soldier. Miranda was beginning to realize this quickly. She was the snappy tongue around here and no one would beat her at that.

"I've read up on your UNSC and Noble Six's recollections." Miranda was no office walking ditz and did her research. "You showed complete loyalty with a blind eye fighting the Covenant. All of you Spartans did as you were told regardless. Your purpose otherwise was neither morale or-"

"I'm not saying my old bosses were angels." John-117 denied. "The difference is if I or any other Spartan had issue we knew where to go to confront it. We knew where the brains of the operations were." He glanced around the headquarters. "The person that calls the shots for you? Hides behind smoke and mirrors."

"I have direct contact with the Illusive Man."

"I'm sure you do." Chief shrugged. "I'm sure that Cortana's files about Cerberus experiments and 'misunderstandings' just fly under your radar are just accidents. Like Rachel."

"… The ends justify the means."

"The end," Master Chief's voice darkened a little bit. "When we get to this 'end' with the Reapers and we win." He motioned to the people in the room. "Will Cortana, Six, Jun, Shepard, and I expect to just walk free no strings attached from this Illusive Man?"

"l…"

Master Chief watched the spinning cylinder finally slow down, the chamber itself opening up. The system had been done calibrating, just like Ms. Lawson was done trying to end Chief's skepticism. Miranda was stumped, probably one of the few times in her life she was left a little speechless, staring at the tall Spartan who dwarfed her.

"… Did I talk enough for you?"

Miranda paused and just nodded with a smirk at the green Spartan. "… Looks like there's a lot more going on in there than just a guy who knows how to use a rifle."

"Thanks for the calibration." Master Chief began his walk towards the other Spartans as Lawson just felt like she had been bested by someone quite worthy. It actually was refreshing for once. Her relationship with the Spartans had been like a mother trying to make her young better. A Hasley type role… Noble Six was too young for her, his juvenile passes at her more fun and kidding rather than a serious relationship. An older and wiser Master Chief on the other hand…

"Well that was interesting." The door way came open, Shepard walking in with her helmet to her side, eyeing the rest of the Spartans in the room.

"What's the verdict Shepard?" Noble Six peaked over.

"… We're going to Freedom's Progress." Shepard coordinated the actions in her mind. "Let's move Spartans."

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Freedom's Progress was not very different from the many settlements that had been disappearing recently. They followed a common recipe and equation. A growing colony with little defense, far away from Citadel space, not poised for the all-out attack that was a Collector abduction. The once thriving colony had the look of a cemetery, all death but no bodies, key characteristic remnants of a Collector invasion.

A rescue team was on the ground, oblivious to the thoroughness of a Collector swarm. They were a group Quarians, about a small strike-team in size. The troopers were looking for an old friend named Veetor'Nara, another one of their kind on his kind at the most apex point of their journey. Veetor, like all Quarians at some point, was here to aid this particular colony as a service towards his Quarian Pilgrimage. Judging by the barren situation they were obviously too late. There was nothing left but a ghost colony.

A Ghost Colony with a bunch of pissed off security droids.

"These bosh'tet won't let us out alive!" Prazza yelled into cover, assault droids looming over the dark sky as the YMIR mechs joined their smaller brethren.

"Stand your ground!" Tali stayed low, trying to get a read on the battle zone. "Veetor is here! He must be!" her determination, born from her history on the Normandy, was apparent, catching a few droids off guard as her pistol followed her leadership cry. The effort was admirable but didn't result in much. As those few FENRIS wolves fell the heavy hitters came thrashing in through a side panel.

"Our troops are going to be overwhelmed!" Prazza saw one of his men literally crushed by the Mech onslaught. "Tali we must retreat!"

"We can't leave without him!" Tali growled, attempting to dial in a hack. "We've come too far!"

"Keelah! Tali what is that?"

"Just hold my cover Prazza!" The young leader shouted. "I'm trying to-"

"Just look!" The male Quarian pulled Tali to her feet, the two looking at a sight that brought relief yet a lot more questions. Tali's neck craned, staring as one of her commandos was saved from a stomping, one being holding the baseplate of a YMIR Mech foot in midair. Tons of downward force was stopped by something human, no bones broken yet.

"_Chief take it easy on them will you? They're just confused machines."_

The Quarian underneath was frozen in awe, looking up at the titanic Mech being held their by something a quarter of its size. Master Chief wasted no more time waiting for the fallen alien to move, suddenly twisting his arms like he would a wheel, ripping the entire leg off of the Mech with tension. The robot smashed into the floor, its targeting system caving in, rendering it useless.

"… Was that easy enough?"

"_Sure, why not."_

A pack of assault droids answered their fallen's call, floating mechs with assault rifles and rocket launchers suddenly soared towards the Chief, taking their heat seeking aims. The Spartan-II whips out his assault rifle, targeting each unit, taking almost the entire pack out as the rounds sprayed with wild accuracy. A few strays had a heat signature lock, launching their missiles, only to see their own projectiles explode inches away from their turrets, taking them out with their own weapons.

Two well-aimed and timed sniper rounds did their work perfectly.

"Not bad Jun."

"Noble Team represent sir." Jun calmly celebrated with a reload of rounds. "Hoo-Rah!" The third of Noble Team pumped their fists in unison.

"No Quarian casualties! That's the priority!" Shepard shouted from across the courtyard leaping high above a group of Loki Mechs in a summer sault, firing upon them from above upside down, each one imploding as their power cells burst with precise kill shots.

"Never been a big fan of pets!" Noble Six batted a mechanical wolf aside, cracking its head in half, stomping it to a pulp beneath. He turned ready to fire more rounds only to see an all business Tali finish off a few with her shotgun. She brushes herself off turning to the Spartan, showing she too knew how to deal with droids.

"There's three more of you now?" Tali said half-excited yet serious.

"Heh, you could say that." Noble Six glanced around for any enemies noticing that once again the Spartans had cleaned house in tops time. The Quarians rallied to their leader with their injuries, only now noticing they were circled by obvious Cerberus operatives, five intimidating figures closing in on them.

"We're surrounded!" Prazza held his gun up. "Stay back Cerberus scum!"

"Shut up and lower your weapon!" Tali scowled. "We'd be dead if it weren't for them!"

"We're not here to hurt anyone." Six shook his head.

"Like I trust you Cerberus liars." Prazza shook angrily. "You kill us and now you expect us to forget because-"

"He's a friend of mine! Relax." Tali's leadership qualities had grown so much, Shepard and Six admiring from behind their helmets. "I'm sorry Noble Six. But as you know our kind and Cerberus have more than a right for some bad blood."

"I know what Cerberus did." Noble Six crossed his arms, knowing exactly what group he had allied himself with. "I've been so busy Tali, I couldn't have been there."

"I can confirm your busy schedule." The Quarian leader noticed the Spartans instantly but then took into account their actual designs and it made her jaw drop in that air bubble of a helmet. Tali recognized them all in a way if not photographically. The camouflage finished Spartan was the one she saw in the video she decrypted long ago, the one that showed two Spartans battling on Reach.

The solid green one with the amber visor, the tallest of the bunch was the one Noble Six described in accurate detail to them for days. She remembered conversations as the Normandy Team was discussing using Rachel to bring in a legend from Six's world. The black one… with the N7 on her chest… well…

"Keelah..." Tali muttered as the only woman Spartan took off her helmet.

"Good to see you too Tali."

"C-commander… Shepard?" The Quarian turned back to Noble Six in disbelief. "Is this a dream?"

"No." Six shook smiling at her surprise. "We've brought her back Tali. It's all real."

"Shepard…" Tali began looking at the MJOLNIR powered assault suit with that bright purple glare. "You're one of _them _now?"

"I noticed that too." Shepard smiled that reassuring grin that had kept Tali's spirits up so many times before, walking over to her old teammate with a warm aura regardless of her daunting armor. Tali couldn't believe it. It really was her.

"How are you?"

"… I am good." Tali robotically replied, not really knowing what to say to someone who she thought was dead. The fact that she was being surrounded by Spartans made it that much more uneasy. "Y-you all saved us… we are grateful."

"You've become quite the leader Tali. I'm very proud of you." Shepard complimented quickly to ease the anxiety.

"Oh Shepard… this is nothing. I'm just in charge of finding an old friend." Tali was still feeling lightheaded from this encounter, let alone now dealing with blush starters. "His name is Veetor. He was probably the one who turned on these mechs in the first place."

"I see." Shepard began to shift into Commander mode. "Cortana?"

"Yes ma'am?" Cortana appeared on cue.

"Can you get a lock in on any heat signatures by going through the Freedom Progress' terminals?"

"Sure thing Commander… just give me a few minutes and I'll deliver this Veetor."

"Chief and Jun, create a perimeter and make sure all mechs are dead." Shepard made a clenched fist, the Spartans beginning to split up in the hunt. The two Spartans with a history with Tali would keep her company.

"I think we can both find what we're looking for in this Veetor of yours." Six pointed out. "There's been evidence of disappearing human colonies throughout the outer populations. We've even heard some Cerberus and Alliance army bases had been attacked as well."

"And you're going to find what with Veetor?" Tali felt a dark presence to her side, turning and seeing a face that made her jump back.

"Some confirmation Quarian." Saren was right in her face, Cerberus logo for anyone to see.

"Saren?" Tali turned to Shepard and Noble Six as her heart pumped double time, hands on her pistol. "Are you two serious?"

Noble Six and Shepard looked at one another, sighing as the Turian once again had to be cleared up. They knew they had a lot of explaining to do.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Days Later | Horizon)

Lt. Ashley Williams couldn't move a muscle.

The Collectors swarms moved fast and furious, paralyzing anything in their bug sights.

Ashley could only reflect on the mistake of assumptions as her body seized up in to a frozen statue. The Alliance didn't even know what they were dealing with, the Chief gunner coming to this colony to set it up its defense towers for a Cerberus attack, not a Collector onslaught. On her way to this colony in the Terminus system, her mind was set on so many things. Rumors of Shepard's revival sprung quickly, Ashley herself wanting to see this with her own eyes as the Alliance sent her here almost as a spy. Her vendetta with Cerberus had only grown hearing that Shepard was working for them… those bastards holding her down like a slave to their bidding.

They did the same to Noble Six that year ago. She remembered the conversation hours after the memorial, the two having dinner in the Citadel, decked out in civilian wear. It wasn't exactly a friendly or romantic meeting. That wasn't either of their styles anyway. It was more like an all-out verbal brawl. It was a conversation that tore Ashley and six apart. It was her loyalty to the organization she felt was righteous versus her unstable (in her opinion)… romantic interest.

"_I have to do this. Chief's out there somewhere and I can get to him quick with Cerberus' help."_

"_No you don't. You can come to the Alliance and we will do what's necessary."_

"_You know that's bullshit Ash! With guys like Udina running the show? We'll never get anywhere! Cerberus gets the job done!"_

"_You mean by killing innocents? By just doing whatever they please? They're terrorists Six! Can't you understand that?"_

"_I'll make things right. I promise."_

"_You're being blinded out of desperation. You're making a deal with the devil and you know it! I can't follow you on this!"_

"…"

"_I'm Alliance. I believe in what we stand for. Shepard wouldn't want us to do this. For you to sell your soul like this?"_

"_She trusted me Ashley. What Cerberus promises me I know I can make this work!"_

"_Do you Spartans always have to be so damn gung-ho about everything? This is ridiculous!"_

"… _It's final."_

"_Fine… I can't… support you Six… I just can't…"_

"_Ashley I'm not changing. I'm still me!"_

"… _Find me when you're done and only when you're done… Good bye."_

Ashley had only been in rare contact ever since. An awkward e-mail from the two would pop up in their inboxes from time to time, speaking about anything not relevant to the oncoming Reaper war of course. It broke her heart but she knew Cerberus never had Six's or Shepard's best interests, she couldn't agree to Six jumping ship because it would be selfish of her. She had principles and she had to stick to her guns. At least that's what she thought…

Doubt. The news of Shepard's revival made her doubt her opinions like the appearances from this Master Chief did, the news spreading quickly like wildfire. But there was a catch. With Cerberus there's always HAD to be a catch. Those bastards were up to something. She had to rescue Chief, Six, and Shepard away from that crowd. Anything that seemed like a favor was going to come back and haunt them.

But right now she had to get out of Collector's hands first.

One by one Ashley could only stare in horror as human paralyzed body after paralyzed body was taken like lifeless sacks. These scaled armored drones were as hideous as they were mysterious, swarms of bugs like the scene of rotting carcasses blackening the sky. Ashley notices one Collector beginning to glow a demon-like aura, eyes flaring up with fire.

"Prepare them for the ascension." The Collector's voice roared so deep it felt like the floor itself was rumbling.

A Collector was about to grab onto Ashley, the lieutenant trying with all her might to just move anything. Just as the Collector was about to grab her a loud ringing noise made all heads turn towards the gates of Horizon. All the Collectors stopped instantly, drawing fire arms. The glowing demon of a Collector, the one that was being directly controlled stood towards the front, the Reaper known as Harbinger staring down a figure walking towards them.

"What is the meaning of this?" Harbinger hissed.

The shadowed figure inched closer, the swarm attempting to stop him with their paralysis stings. A kinetic barrier prevented them from closing in, if that wasn't the only concern for Harbinger the seekers began to fall to the ground as if they'd been poisoned, the mere aura of this strange anomaly killing them. The Collectors stood pat and calm like the emotionless servants they were, watching now as the figure finally stood still letting them see him.

Ashley gazed on, even paralyzed sensing a shiver down her back. A pale young man (of sorts) with cracked skin stood there still, eyes without pupils, looking as if he was literally thrown together with left over body parts being held together by God knows what. Blue veins ran through him like dead vines, an ominous yet lifeless stare piercing into every single being in Horizon. He wore a tattered cloak, shredded as if it had been worn for ages, an evil glower frozen on his face. A psychotic stare…

"How dare you destroy our swarm." Harbinger bellowed, pulling his blaster out, his Collector army doing the same. "Who are you organic? Tell us before you are eliminated!"

Ashley looked on as the cloaked figure didn't say a word, an eerie silence blanketing the area as the swarm began to die by the hundreds. In seconds the entire swarm was dead, as if a plague hit them.

"You will die." Harbinger suddenly aimed his Collector beam at the ominous man, firing. The kinetic barrier did not give, the beam just splitting off. That devil's smirk did not leave nor disappear in any flinch.

"I'm disappointed Harbinger." The voice was bone curdling, dark yet so clear, human yet diabolic. "You can't even recognize… your brother?"

Harbinger's Collector shell glowed, the Reaper staring this freak down. He felt the energy finally as if he had been let in on the secret – codes and electronic communication being downloaded into his Reaper conscious.

"Sovereign." Harbinger's monotone hid his surprise. "You are supposed to be terminated."

_S-sovereign? _Ashley's breath nearly froze with her body, her heart almost giving out at the name. He was supposed to be dead!

The former Reaper laughed, blood dripping down his mouth from loose skin. "Terminated? … Fate has just shown me my true calling." the human twitched, walking towards the Collectors. "I've been reborn."

His 'brother' was not impressed. "You have a lot of nerve showing yourself to me. You've failed us." Harbinger mocked him. "Not only have you not accomplished our goal but now you've become an organic? You're pathetic even in your speech. You even talk like them! This is blasphemy."

"Pathetic am I brother?" Sovereign began to laugh, Harbinger suddenly noticing a few of his units lying on the floor puddles of Prothean blood drizzled across the ground. An energy blade that would be familiar to a Spartan appeared from the chest cavity of a Collector, four jaws dripping from the fluid it in took from its victim.

Ashley recognized that blade and those four jaws instantly, reminding herself of the Phantom ship the Normandy explored when they found Noble Six. She scans across the Horizon entrance and then notices all these newly formed creatures, armored from head to toe with organic looking substances similar to the modified Protheans, destroying this Collector army with no issue.

_They can't be the same ones on the ship can they?_

From the other side a Warhammer crushes another Collector, splitting its body into pieces as it was driven into a metal crate. Harbinger turns to see more carnage, a pack of little 'jackal' like beings tearing another one of his units apart, eating the Collector raw like a piece of meat. A small army of "grunts" join in the feast, taking another Collector down, tearing at it with their claws and jaws.

"You are a fool." Harbinger growled. "What are you doing?"

"Humans are mine to save." Sovereign cackled, looking to sky spreading his hands. "I am their savior. It is time my Reaper brothers to answer to their sins… just like all living beings."

From above four comets were rapidly descending, flaming projectiles closing in. Ashley yelped as one of the comets smashed about ten yards away from her, all four driven into the ground like stakes, concrete and earth shooting into the air and burying the mortars. Even with all she had seen this was one was a bit too much and pushed her over the edge. She saw armors… twisted armors that reminded her of what Noble Six wore, what Spartans wore. Four soldiers of different variations began to climb out of their 'graves', the impact that would kill a normal human being doing little to stop their movement.

"My Immortals will rise…" Sovereign's eyes began to glow red. "The time of all, even the Reapers will soon be at an end." He looked over at his own brand of cybernetic super soldiers, twisted images of what he deemed Spartans were and would be in the future.

Ashley couldn't believe this. What had Sovereign turn himself into... the Normandy team didn't kill Sovereign on the Citadel, It was just another assumption. In her eyes it was going to be a grave mistake. Sovereign's plan seemed to be going on as plan regardless of what they did that day. All they did was driven him even more mad…

"My elite warriors. Teach my brother Harbinger what you have learned." Sovereign eyed his brother with no mercy. "These humans are mine… and only mine..."

Ashley understood it with a frightening breath. These were the four that had wiped out an Alliance base not too long ago…

_The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse_

"_Famine" – Rusted MJOLNIR Armor – A Head Hunter, Blade Combat Specialist, Sniper Expert_

"_Plague" – Ghost MJOLNIR Armor – A Warrior of Pestilence, Tech Expert, Poisons/Acids/Decomposition  
_

"_War" – Blood MJOLNIR Armor – A Walking Tank, Heavy Artillery Specialist_

"_Death" – Skull MJOLNIR Armor – A Biotic Phenom, Energy Scythe_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **There you have it a first glimpse at the Immortals... Dark Demon for noticing the 300 mention... cookies for you! :) Good Guys vs. Immortals vs. Collectors/Reapers oh my!

- About the O/C good guy.. I don't think there's any room. This team is already stacked to the heavens. Although, your writing was great... why not write a fanfic with James in it? I'll read for sure. :)

- And Miranda/Chief hint... is there... still have time to change my mind. Always can pull the love triangle card or something.

- This fic will be finished if people want it finished. Only time I'd stop is if there was no interest... so no... this fic probably won't go the way of most fics that sadly don't get done!

Thanks everyone for reading. Happy Thanksgiving! (For those reading around the time I posted this.) ^_^


	4. Ruin

_One Day Prior…_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Omega| Afterlife)

No one fucks with Aria.

So many have died learning the one rule just a bit too late.

Eyeing her empire underneath the radiant lights of her nightclub, foreboding tattooed stare and all, the lust of many in the room clashed against their morbid fears. If promiscuity came with this territory, then it was this Asari's violence that built it. Aria T'Loak lived like a primal warrior of a dark age, building her empire on Omega with grit and cerebral strategy. She wanted power? She took the power. She wanted information? She got the information. She wanted some bodily intimacy? Prepare for the night of their lives only to be tossed aside like dead Vorcha.

Omega's prior leader scoured at her feet after a lifetime of bullying tyranny. A combination of sexual prowess, smarts, beauty, and some of the deadliest biotics in the galaxy made her a world beater. On Omega she was queen and the scum were her servants. No one would dare touch her. She _was _Omega and no one believed otherwise.

"Aria," Her Batarian guard's voice had a shaky tone. "… That Spartan is here."

… So maybe one person believed otherwise.

"Let him in." Aria expected Noble Six's company, saying those words as if she had a choice in the matter.

"Actually… um," The Batarian's hesitance obviously signaled more bad news, Ms. T'Loak preparing to throttle him at first hint of his weakness. "T-there are four of them now… it seems."

… Make that four.

Aria shot her guard a vicious glare that made his blood curdle like stew, meaning she was in no mood for inferior company. "Grow some balls and stop stuttering." The Batarian turned back to his post like a scurrying wounded dog.

_Looks like those Cerberus goons and Noble Six succeeded_. Aria meandered between surprise and disquiet at the revealing thought, reminded of her numerous run-ins with the "Angel of Death" Noble Six the past year. Aria was similar to the Shadow Broker in that she was a hub of information although on a much smaller scale. It was inevitable that the two met and those encounters have created a dark respect as much as a loathing for the Spartan kind. Aria admired someone that could make her second guess her power as much as she hated that they were doing it to her.

"Let's see how Cerberus' hard earned credits paid off." The Omega leader stood slowly, observing the sea of club goers, hands clenching the silver rails that surrounded her VIP platform as a visible path cleared way. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, four Spartans and a heavily armored Turian making even the most pandemonium driven rooms to a silent standstill.

"Looks like we weren't invited to the party." Noble Six pointed out with a playful shrug, a few Asari perking up at his sight, everyone else he'd shaken down in this place (meaning 95% of the club) groaning and frozen in mental paralysis.

"Seems like they know you well Six." Shepard commented dryly as her eyes wondered around the hell-themed room, getting stares from the scum-ridden crowd like a pack of pyjack preparing for a veran attack.

"Trust me Shepard." Saren snickered as a few humans scurry off path, previous victims of a rogue Spectre's interrogation methods. "They know us here quite well."

Shepard's mind could only imagine what Noble Six and Saren did here to get this type of sullen response. Omega had the reputation of housing the baddest mercs and bounty hunters in the galaxy. Everyone here seemed like a school child that was hiding from a teacher's tough questioning. They were actually cowering behind their fancy drinks. To them they saw more like Noble Six… not a good thing for the scourge of the underworld.

"Well I dig this place for some odd reason." Jun's helmet head was rotating around rapidly, promptly stopping at any images of an Asari pole dancing to bright neon lights. A reflection of black latex bounced off his gray visor, purple skin highlighting the mirror images. Bad history with aliens aside, these Asari made Jun forget the past real fast. When a nice looking purple one walked by with a naughty stare, running her finger over his helmet in a tease, Noble Three was quite content.

"Okay so maybe it's not such an odd reason."

"_The mightiest Spartans are still men."_ Cortana rolled her eyes in disappointment as Jun chuckled along with Six and Shepard. She wasn't too disgusted with the male-isms from the younger soldiers. At least her favorite Spartan kept his mouth shut and his eyes working towards the mission, his jade helmet being shaded red from hellfire light overlays. John wasn't being a saint or that much of a strategist. He just didn't need the extra headache. Cortana always watched him like a hawk.

No Asari pole dancers in John's sights. Just emergency exit paths.

"Let's not make too much of a scene guys." Shepard motioned. The amped up crowd calmly went about their dastardly business as the Cerberus group continued on with no apparent aggression. The five-some made their way towards higher ground, Aria staring at the Spartans and Saren, every step they made in 'her' house monitored like a ticking time bomb.

Noble Six confronted her muscle, staring down one of her Turian body guards, the sight of those chiseled helmets and armors making all of Aria's armed protectors back up a few steps. Usually anyone coming close to the Asari matriarch would be checked for weapons but this particular guard tried that before with Noble Six. A scar across his face was a result of the encounter.

"Can you kindly ask your crony here to take a few steps back Aria?" Six smirked. "He's in our way."

"Ugh, we don't need to go through this again do we fellas?" Aria didn't even turn to acknowledge the Cerberus Five, looking out at the area she owned in half confidence.

"Then I suggest you tell your guards to scurry off and find an Asari whore to entertain them for a while." Saren unkindly hinted with a flash of biotic energy in his hands. An angry pause later and Aria snapped her fingers, the guards stepping back and letting the five through. Being bullied around wasn't something that Aria tolerated but this group was the one that clearly held the cards… at least for now.

"Cerberus is sure desperate spending this much credits on a small strike force." Aria's eyelids were closed tightly as those lips spat fire, giving Saren and Six a hard glance at first glare. "Looks like you both made good on your promise so I can't blame them." She stalked the Spartan group, not showing her weakness as she was nose to nose with Noble Six. "Tell me while you stole that frozen cargo you got there that you made those Suns and Blood Pack fucks squirm."

Noble Six nodded with a tip of his hand. "Haven's gone too." He handed her some data from his omni-tool. "Tip me and Saren later."

"Good." Aria beamed at the thought of those treacherous mercs that played her dead at this Spartan's feet. Indeed she had come into possession of a frozen Master Chief at some point in the last year herself – that is before her own subjects screwed her over. In fact she could be considered one of the few that had aided bringing Chief back to where he belonged. She was the one that ratted out the thieves hiding in Haven, telling Saren and Six all they needed to know to get her revenge on those bastards.

"So what brings you two back here?" Aria playfully strolled by the group. "So I get to meet Shepard and the rest of your Spartan gang?" she sat down with a wink. "Care for the usual seat here Six?"

"Usual seat?" Shepard turned to Noble Six with an accusing glare.

"Well… I… you know… I came here for interrogation purposes Commander. Heh." Six scratched his head with a gulp. "Got to mix in with the crowd you know?"

"If Ashley ever finds out…"

"W-we're not exactly on speaking terms… as I said…"

"Heck, if you ever need more interrogations in this club I'll gladly volunteer in your place Six." Jun raised his hand, his partner just batting it down much to his chagrin.

"Like I said to Noble Six many times," Aria grinned mischievously, arms apart and spread as if to encompass her entire empire. "If you're sick of being on Cerberus' payroll, you Spartans can come work for me. You'll be well taken care of and more than fairly compensated." Her eyes locked on an analyzing Master Chief. "You've been the quietest one green. What do you think about that big guy?"

Chief was as still as a statue, about as amused as one too. "I think you better answer Shepard's questions or we'll have a problem."

"Stern. Quiet. Strong. I like this one." Aria gave the Spartan-II an approving sneer, peeping sights going up and down that signature 117 armor. "You would've been a good prize for me to use Master Chief. Maybe it would've been better to keep you frozen."

"Enough of the crap," Shepard took a seat next to Aria without much invitation. "We're looking for some people and I need some answers. Now."

"Well…" Aria put a finger on her purple lips in mocking thought. "Depending on the questions Commander I'll see what can give you." Her stare made Shepard feel like the Asari was peeling away the MJOLNIR armor from her skin.

The Commander crossed her arms un-amused. "We're looking for a Professor Mordin Solus and someone named Archangel. Start talking…"

"Pushy." Aria sighed as she was being goaded into words by the world's most dangerous group. "Looks like you're going to fit into this Spartan mold well…"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Present Time | Horizon)

Horrified faces come from horrified imagery. Frozen human bodies awoke to a harrowing; people being dragged across the ground as they struggled, screamed, and clawed would fit the bill. The cries of the Horizon innocents didn't faze these _Broken Covenant,_ they now only listened to one voice against their will. The zombified alien warriors dragged the humans towards their master's destination, stacking humans up like a sacrificial pile in front of an altar.

Ashley had the taste of ashes in her mouth the air was so polluted with the aftermath of battle. She was only beginning to recover from the swarm's sting, desperately trying to stand up and fight. She saw her rifle at arm's reach, just inches away from her blurry vision, stretching herself to the limits to grab it.

"Nuh uh uh." Ashley heard a sarcastic yet filtered voice warn her, the next thing she knew her face getting hit so hard it drew blood from her lip, her helmet flying off. Almost instantly before she could even recover a glowing red katana blade was pressed up against her neck, dripping with Collector fluids as her head snapped back. "… I wouldn't move if I were you toots."

The Chief gunnery heard a loud crack knowing it was her rifle that was just stomped into useless fragments. Lt. Williams trembled upward, dizzyingly staring at a mask she usually related with safety and protection. The disfiguring details and the rusted, decrepit finish told her otherwise. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Hah, you got a mouth on you." The katana pressed against her neck even more, even a little shake would puncture Ash's skin. "… I like that."

Ashley was hesitant just to breath the blade was pressed so tightly against her skin. She was helpless; a situation that ever since when she was a young girl terrified her beyond belief. She was never the hopeless princess or the damsel in the distress, that wasn't the Williams way. These Spartan imposters were playing with her and it was pissing her off as much as she was confused and scared.

What could she do? She saw these four tear apart an entire Collector brigade in minutes, including the few Alliance soldiers at her command, this being the most vicious homicide she'd ever witness. They were so clean and efficient yet visceral and unforgiving. They moved and fought like Spartans. Like Noble Six.

_Did Sovereign create these Spartans?_

"Famine." A pale white, almost transparent MJOLNIR armored glove grabbed his blade wielding hand, pulling it away so Ashley could finally breathe. "The Master told you to be careful with her."

"Who says I'm not being careful?" Famine angrily pulled his armored limb away from his teammate as they stared at one another in ruthless aggression. These two apparently didn't always see eye to eye. Sovereign wanted this conflict from Plague and Famine. Conflict breeds competition. Competition breeds more dangerous soldiers. The Horsemen were Sovereign's best because of it.

"Just put the blade away and follow orders and shut your damn mouth." Plague gave him one last warning stare before walking off towards the body of Collectors they just created.

"Fuck you…" The rusted armor Horsemen scoffed at his pale brother mockingly, laughing as he looked down at a vulnerable Ashley. "I guess we'll have our fun afterwards won't we sweetheart?" Famine clutched her by her leg and dragged her violently across gravel.

Ashley grimaced and grunted as she scraped along the ground, her orientation screwed as she was being franticly dragged. Ahead she could barely make out the other three of these deadly Horsemen, standing next to the hooded human claiming to be Sovereign. From below, being held to the ground by the largest Immortal in blood stained MJOLNIR armor, Harbinger was beat down to immobility, limbs rendered useless as War crushed each of them with his bare hands.

Sovereign stared down at his belittled Reaper brother, amused at his own anarchy. The heavily armed Horsemen War pulled up Harbinger's head violently, lifting the heavy Collector like he was a piece of meat.

"This trespassing will not be tolerated by our kind." Harbinger's voice spoke through the beaten Collector body like a damaged machine. "You've broken the very meaning of our existence."

"I think it's obvious where my loyalties lie." The bald headed freak hissed, his voice no longer sounding monotone or without personality. "And it isn't with you or my old brethren."

"Your being should've been eradicated with your body." Harbinger insinuated calmly. "You were supposed to open the Relay and you failed. What you've done to yourself is an atrocity to what we are."

"Still thinking like a lowly sentient slave." Sovereign demeaned quite confidently, his backdrop being the Collector death scene his mini army created. "The time draws near brother. All of what we've been doing for the past millions and millions of years will be tested. The cycle ends now."

"… That is not for you to decide. You are just an abomination."

"Face reality!" Sovereign suddenly grabbed and crushed the Collector's neck as if had just snapped. "Your God has arrived. Your kind's time is over." His fingers drew even more blood from the dying body. "Those that won't assimilate to my word will be destroyed."

"You know your army is nothing but ants compared to our kind that you betrayed." Harbinger was still defiant, his host's eyes lighting up with each pulse. "We will come through the Mass Relay and hunt you down. We will put you out of your fleshy misery."

"Ridding myself of those armored prisons you call bodies is far from misery." Sovereign lifted Harbinger with his Reaper biotics, contorting him in the air in a dead man's float. "Your kind is no longer anything to fear. I've seen what this organic world has become. They've become strong enough to overthrow you all by themselves."

"Miscalculation…"

"Heh, flawed logic from a flawed machine brother."

Ashley was regaining her bearings as these two were conversing about history she couldn't comprehend. She kept staring at this barely put together human, the walking corpse, apparently only his own negative energy holding him together like a biotic glue. The aura was the same that year ago on the Citadel. This was Sovereign… if not something more. He was speaking of God, speaking with passion, and emoting like a human – even with all those differences the essence was still the same.

Had Sovereign's severed connection with Noble Six driven him mad like a program that had been corrupt? How the hell did he even get a body like this in the first place was the next question Ashley had.

"You can bring your army from the depths of dark space." Sovereign urged him on. "You can take those fuel wasting slave of bodies that you think will make a difference and bring them here to harvest again. But I will give you this warning…"

The air around the entire area dropped a few degrees and it became so cold. A ghostly figure appeared, passing Ashley and floating towards the sacrificial Collector. The eeriest of the bunch, Lt. Williams actually felt her skin freeze up as Death joined the fray. A tattered cloak with a hood hid the Horsemen's armor beneath, biotic energy fuming out of him like a haunting aura. Ashley wasn't sure of it but there seemed to be human bones protruding out of the armor as it was transfused in, the rest of the details hidden under the shadows of its robe.

"When you all arrive, there will be nothing here to take." Sovereign's sharp toothed snarl was revealed as Death began to pull out a large metal staff of intricate designs.

"You will pay for this treachery…"

"Prepare for your end Harbinger, all of you. May your sins be forgiven my… brothers."

Death's staff erupted in lavender flares, a menacing hooked blade forming on its tip like the energy blade a Sanghelli warrior would use. With one fell swoop the Collector's head was separated cleanly, blood spilling out and staining even Ashley's face. The Collector's head fell to the floor, being crushed. Death didn't say a word, silence his choice of operation. He hovered over towards the Collector's decapitated head, picking it up, curling it in his arms like a child before making way.

_What the Hell is wrong with this group?_

"Ashley Williams." Sovereign's voice rang nothing like it used to, sounding every as bit as charismatic as a psychotic ghoul could be. "It's been too long since our last meeting hasn't it?"

"This has… to be… some… twisted fucked up joke…" Ashley grimaced, wiping her face of Collector's blood. "You're not Sovereign. You can't be… Y-you're… not hum-"

"Human?" Sovereign spoke with much calm yet sinisterly undertones. "Thanks to what you all did on the Citadel that day, I've been saved from the lies. I am now enlightened as you all will soon be. Bow to your Messiah."

"Messiah? Y-you speak about religion like you know anything about it." Williams began eyeing back and forth as all the Immortals were beginning to circle her.

"This is no religious bullshit my dear, that I guarantee it. I will save each and every one of you from the cycle that dooms you all. This is as real as it gets."

"We don't need your saving. You're just a psychotic Reaper with a damn identity complex!" Ashley spat at him, shaking trying to pull herself away. "If you're going to kill me than do it! I'd rather be dead than to listen to your stupid sermon!"

"Always the hot head, that's why Noble Six likes you so much doesn't he?" Sovereign picked the soldier up like lifting dead weight, running his cold corpse like fingers through her dark hair, making Ashley shiver in disgust. "Why would I kill you now after all you've done for me?" Williams turned her face defiantly, the woman's soldier was silent as her body forced to be breathless and weak just by the touch.

"Here's my gift to humanity…"

From the Heavens came missiles that one could count in the hundreds, raining down upon Horizon seemingly from the sky itself. It didn't take long at all, large metallic crosses hammering into the ground like titanic stakes, Ashley feeling a rush of dark air sweeping up the entire Horizon colony. In each silver cross there were waved cybernetic lines as if one would see on a Geth technology, a hallowed out pod area in the middle revealed once opened, like a cocoon or a tomb.

One by one Ashley watched in horror as human after human were forced into these crosses in screams, cybernetic tentacles reaching out and pulling them in, puncturing through their bodies with surgical precision at all vital areas. Slowly but surely each human in the colony was being incased, bleeding, shrieks being muffled inside these mechanical torture chambers.

"Through suffering breeds the powerful." Sovereign grabbed Ashley's chin violently pulling her to him, making sure she got every little detail of his new rotting body in her retinas. "Those who survive will be worthy to serve."

"You fucking monster…" Ashley glowered into those dead eyes, those inhuman eyes. "W-what are you doing to them?"

"Each of you on the Citadel that day will get to see it all happen up close and personal." Sovereign promised an omen. "The rest will face their own Harrowing."

Ashley gasped wide eyed, thinking of her old Normandy teammates. "Y-you leave them alone!"

Sovereign shoved her face away in a disgust manner, turning to his Immortals, namely the elite four. "Horsemen you know your targets. Do not fail me. Hunt them down and bring them to me."

The Four Horsemen merely bowed their heads in obedience to their God. Their omni-tools lit up as the coordinates were set; the Horsemen beginning their ascent to the sky. The crosses that held the innocent civilians also began to rise as well, hundreds of the pods blackening the sky above as they were sent off like rockets. Ashley began to feel light headed as the objects in the skies dissipated; her consciousness was being drained away at the former Reaper's hands.

"It'll only be a matter of time until Noble Six and Shepard come looking for you isn't it?" Sovereign clenched his fist at the thought. "I can't wait to get reacquainted. I bet you feel exactly the same way…"

Ashley's eyes closed.

Sovereign the last thing she saw.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

In a trapped transparent capsule a Covenant swarm unit recovered by a Cerberus strike squad flew around, striking at whatever it could find. After a few bounces against the window a Salarian scientist begins to jot notes down at his terminal. Master Chief and Shepard were keeping a close eye on their newest member, this genius Salarian totally concentrated on his work. Besides the fast speaking and self-conversed reasoning, the two Spartans thought things were going pretty well.

"Collector swarm unit very interesting, possibly a stealth serum almost complete. Yes." The geneticist Mordin Solus held an amber mix in his tube, watching his concoction bubble. "Diaphloride concentration a bit too strong… must reconsider dosage to balance. Will have to lessen dosage by ten percent."

"…. Sheesh it's like watching an entire lab work." Cortana was sitting over her terminal cross legged and chin in her elbows, staring at the professor doing what he loved to do.

"He sure does talk fast." Shepard was leaned back with an uncomfortable sigh, eyeing the doctor with a lot on her mind. It had only been a few hours since they convinced Mordin to join the crew. The Cerberus squad made short work of the Blue Suns in the plague ridden slums, making the area around the Salarian's clinic as safe as it had ever been. They were about to take a look at their next dossier Archangel until Miranda had informed them of a potential Collector attack. A meeting with the Illusive Man later, and Horizon was now their target.

"Concerns Commander?" Master Chief noticed Shepard's restlessness, the question taking the new Spartan back a bit. She and Chief haven't traded much conversation beyond combat strategy and mission planning, things moving so quickly and all. Other than that there was some sort of 'isolated' aura about John that made it hard to crack him at first. Shepard was surprised he actually initiated the dialogue.

"N-no Chief," Shepard stuttered just enough to be caught in the lie, figuring someone like Master Chief would read it she spewed out the truth. "… It's just I've been informed an old teammate of mine is on Horizon right now. I'm hoping Ashley's alright."

"Ashley Williams… the lieutenant that Six mentions from time to time."

"That one… yes." Commander Shepard groaned, thinking of her fellow Alliance mate, wondering how she had been after her death. She also worried about her and Noble Six, hints of troubles slipping out from the gray Spartan here and there in broken chats between Shepard and him. Joining Cerberus was hard for Shepard and she knew Ashley would find it hard to believe two of her closest friends were on the other side. As far as this former Spectre was concerned, she expected Ashley to feel betrayed and abandoned.

If only they could speak right now.

"I'm assuming you didn't say a word to Noble Six?" John knew somewhat of the Spartan's attachment from Cortana's big mouth.

"No…" Shepard tapped her fingers against the wall. "I figured it'd be best to keep him calm during the ride there. He might get a little pissed off once he learns this but I think he'll thank me later."

"Good call." Chief agreed, continually watching Mordin as he was in his own little scientific world. Shepard rolled her eyes Chief's direction as the cyborg was now like a statue, going on like business as usual. As abruptly as John entered the conversation it seems he was finished as quickly. It kind of made Shepard chuckle inside. This was the John-117 Six told her all about. The quiet no bullshit Spartan extraordinaire who was as focused on a mission as anyone could be.

This guy had no weaknesses at all.

"Six is so young, but he tells me most Spartans start off even younger." Shepard took a glance at her armor, still finding it hard to believe what she was now. "I've been told the path to a Spartan means a lot of loved ones left behind."

John-117 didn't hold any punches. "Not very many of us survive the process. Especially my batch."

Shepard thought long and hard about how she was going to word this. "Honestly Chief? I don't think I could've agreed to the Spartan program if I was in your world."

"How so?"

"I'm just thinking." Shepard paused in deep thought. "If I had to tell my own squad mates to make such a sacrifice, to watch so many of them perish not even in battle." She tried to put herself in that position while coming out a powerful hero but couldn't. "I don't know if I could've done it."

"I don't blame you." Chief understood her concern. He remembered exactly what it was like becoming a Spartan, even in the beginning, surviving in a jungle as a young boy, all the other Spartan candidates looking to him for leadership. Even at that ripe age he wore the burden of hero to his kind. It was a sad day when he learned that most of them didn't make it passed the implants stage. It came with the territory he was told repeatedly.

They all died for a reason.

"I can't be like you in that way Chief." Shepard looked so genuine and sounded the same way. "I had to make a sacrifice to a squad mate a long while ago. I couldn't sleep for days. I cried for even longer." She seemed frustrated at the thoughts. "I can't be a machine like a Spartan, no matter how much gizmos install in my body."

Master Chief glanced at the woman from behind his mask, his look of hesitance hidden from view. This was heavy information Shepard was divulging and these two barely knew one another. It was like she doubted her Spartan status or even her ability to be standing next to him. John began to realize something real fast.

"Shepard, you don't have to be that way." John shook his head. "You've been doing fine the way you are."

There was a long period of silence as the Commander's mind plowed through the memories.

"Heh, I remember watching Six essentially bury Jun on the Normandy." Shepard reminded herself of that day quite vividly. "Not even one tear shed and it was on like business as usual in a matter of minutes." She shook her head in amazement.

"Here's a kid who barely escaped death and was transported to another galaxy. His planet he defended just got vaporized and he instantly offered me his help without batting an eye." She laughed a little. "I really couldn't believe it. I thought Six was just emotionally detached , like Spartans were just blank slates waiting for their stockpile of kill orders."

"We get that a lot."

"But you know I was wrong." Shepard wanted to make that known real quickly. "Six is as emotional as anyone I've ever met. And I feel bad for thinking that way of him. Heck, about all of you."

"… It's good of you to not tell him about Williams." Master Chief thought of his younger counterpart like a student. "Six is amazing but his work within squad units was limited to Noble Team and your team. He's not as used to losing the lives around him like most Spartans."

Shepard admiringly looked at the legend that was John-117, all heroic in that Spartan II armor. "… How the hell do you guys do it Chief? I may have your implants but I don't think I'll ever be that... practical."

"It's not as simple as you make it sound Commander." John tried to clear it up without delving too deep into his own mind. "Let's just say the helmets help. You're falling into some Spartan propaganda if you think we can be that detached whenever we feel like it."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for assuming." Shepard looked down.

"You're one of the best leaders I've ever met. You're doing fine." Chief reiterated. "Wearing your emotions on your sleeve works for you and certain things work for me. I think I even see you rubbing off on Six."

"Hehe, y-yeah he is starting to grow a mouth on him isn't he?" Shepard let out a huge breath and a laugh as if she desperately needed it.

Coming back from the dead and learning everything that had transpired was a daunting task for her mentally, as well as the physical exertion from the Spartan implants. But now she had the burden of Cerberus and Alliance pulling at her, a Reaper invasion, and to top that off she was being asked to keep up as a Spartan soldier with three of the best Spartans ever to walk the galaxy. John's calmness eased her worries.

Master Chief sensed the anxiety leave as well. It was almost like Shepard, for this moment just needed someone for a split second to hold her insecurities for her. Since she was a young officer it was always people confiding in her, Shepard's crew relying on her strength and knowledge to help them deal with their issues. For the first time in Shepard's life she had someone, a peer to confide in that was on her level if not above it. It was nice for one moment to not have to be indestructible all-knowing Shepard, and ask questions to hero that had done it so well before her.

Chief was no book writer on how to be a hero, but he sure was damn good at it.

"Thanks for listening Chief." Shepard grinned. "You really are everything Six said you were and then some."

"Anytime."

Cortana snuggled up close to her Spartan's head patting him. "Isn't he just the best Shep?"

"If not? … He's close to it." Shepard laughed as Cortana and her shared a womanly wink.

"Sorry to interrupt your dramatic interludes on the human psyche." Mordin broke their moment in speedy speech, watching the Collector swarm unit totally ignore some organic bait inside the chamber. "Seems to me like we might have found success Shepard… Master Chief."

"Is the counter measure ready?" Shepard asked with anticipation, being only replied with ironically a silent nod from the Professor.

Chief and Shepard gave each other the nod.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Above Horizon the Normandy SR-2 began its hovering descent towards the desolate planet. Noble Six and Jun were at a terminal bay across the loading dock, preparing to be dropped into battle like signature ODST style. Jun seemed quite excited about something while Noble Six was typing away at the terminal, and it had nothing to do with the anxiety of sticking Collector's full of sniper rounds.

"So you're telling me I technically can have an A.I. as well? Like Cortana?"

"If you wanted." Noble Six bypassed a few menus, uploading something into his omni-tool. "I've been working on an A.I. for me myself, it's still in beta phase and needs to be tweaked. I've have been making adjustments for the last few months with the Cerberus scientists. This thing is going to be the most bad ass and cool A.I. ever made."

"Be careful with that thing Six." Miranda was at the bay, checking on their Spartan armors, a curious Rachel on her lap. "It's not ready for a test run yet. I've told you this about how many times now?"

"Alright stop worrying 'mom'." Noble Six shook his fingers at her. "I'm just showing Jun what I've been working on and that's it. Relax."

"You better." Lawson smirked, only to scowl like she always did. "… And don't ever call me mom again." She finished with woman's fearful might. Spartan's maybe the deadliest soldiers in the world but a right cross from a tough girl was still a force to be reckoned with.

"Heh," Six laughed nervously, spinning towards Jun who was all amusement. "And that's why I didn't want a female A.I. in my head."

"_Hey! I heard that." _Cortana yelled out as she was preparing for the mission, syncing data files with EDI in the other room. Six just shrugged as his omni-tool began to glow a distinct amber color. This playfulness was something that was brought about by youth and cheer. The pale girl sitting on Miranda's lap had softened the ice queen. Six being away from other Spartan's and that whole metal militia vibe for a year had made him much more willing to act his age.

Jun was close to getting there as well.

"You know Six, pretty soon I think only Shepard will be your only female backer on the ship at this rate." Jun chuckled, putting the finishing gloss on his newest improved Volkov Sniper rifle, the smell of cleanser wax like coffee for him.

"God I can't wait to see you all in action." Rachel turned to Six as she adjusted her glasses. "When the Reapers see Master Chief, Shepard and you all? It's going to be great."

"Sure is little sis. I'm counting on it." Noble Six finally found the program and typed in a few more keyboard presses. On his active omni-tool a hologram in full crimson red arose in 3D polygon pieces, forming in the shape of a robotic head, glowing eyes and a lean structure. "Feast your eyes on the baddest computer A.I. known to man."

"[_Greeting] Hello, I am finally here to serve you master. [Query] Do you need a Geth's location so we can fry it to a crisp? Perhaps the location of a CAIN launcher will aid you in this mission?"_

Noble Six smirked at his creation as Jun just stared at the robot image with jealous eyes and dumbfounded. "Sure HK, run a reading on the Normandy SR-2 to check on any possible targets." He finished, waiting as his A.I. prototype HK-47 glanced around, getting the read out to the Normandy.

"_[Query] Interesting. Although I did not find any Geth units master I have found several anomalous structures that could be a threat. Shall I proceed in making preparations to eliminate them?"_

"What?" Noble Six blinked, almost getting worried at the warning. "What kind of possible targets?"

"_[Statement] There are three others in this room besides you for instance that can be deemed a threat. Those meatbags can turn their back on you master. [Query] May I suggest we act swiftly?"_

"HK these are our allies. Our teammates. No they're not potential threats." Noble Six laughed nervously as Miranda and Jun shook their heads in disappointment.

"_[Rebuttal] Only for now master, but as you meatbags say 'Do not trust anyone.' I will do you the favor and begin the assassination protocol." _

"No!"Noble Six instantly disconnected the A.I. from his omni-tool, the entire group breathing a sigh of relief. The gray Spartan was tapping his wrist as Jun and Miranda waited for him to comment on his self-proclaimed amazing construct. "Okay… so maybe I made him a little too bad ass."

"You think so?" Miranda peppered on the damaged ego.

"Commander Shepard!" Rachel perked up at the sight, her guardian walking into the room with the heavy artillery. You couldn't get much bigger damaging weapons than Master Chief and Saren Arterius.

"Hey there Rachel, you're looking happy and good." Shepard smiled brightly, helmet at her side waving back. She turned to Six and Jun with a bit more seriousness as the two Spartans stood up.

"We're on top of Horizon. Let's get this show on the road…."

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~ **

The Collector Homeworld was supposed to be forever hidden, only those under the flagship of the Reapers being able to pass through. It is no wonder that the colonies of Collectors were in disbelief and horror, looking to the skies as a visceral storm was ravaging their way. Ships, of the Geth kind began to blot out the red heavens many reappearing from a mass relay jump, lasers raining down upon them as quickly as they cut back into space.

The mutilated Prothean race followed their master's orders to retaliate, firing their own blasts, a war of attrition beginning to take place.

_(On the planet Haestrom, Tali's strike squad was being cornered by Geth, the young Quarian firing back as they pulled back into the research facility. From no more than a hundred meters away she sees a figure land on its feet seemingly from thin air. Her teammate Reegar begins to fire at this new threat, the menacing armored warrior's shields absorbing the heat from the dying sun and his disruptor rounds with no troubles.)_

_(Plague's omni-tool began to glow, taking aim at the Quarians with a locked on beacon. Reegar grabs Tali in desperation, pulling them both into the base, shutting the emergency door. In one large blast a large field captures a few of Tali's squad mates as well as Geth, each of them noticing their shields disappearing, their armors withering away… and soon their bodies burning like a raging inferno.)_

Groups of infantry were deployed from Geth carriers; a Collector warrior in disbelief as he stares at the crevasse the projectile created. It saw a grey armored hand pull itself up as if death was not an option. The Collector's many eyes grow frantic, firing blaster rounds as he notices many gray armored bodies pulling themselves up from their pits like demons rising from Hell. These weren't missile or plasma blasts raining down upon them… they were soldiers.

_(On Omega, in the darkest of the slums Garrus under the name of Archangel was holding his own on a bridge as a triad of mercenaries was attempting to get to him. Using the bridge as a choke point the expert marksman was having not troubles at all, keeping the goons at bay, killing them in the hundreds. Unexpectedly from behind the passage the Turian notices a few Blue Suns running out to the bridge as if they were pleading to be rescued.)_

_(Garrus had a scope on them ready to take their heads off but it was already done. An image of a fading stealth shield was in his scope, two electrified blades cutting cleanly through Blue Sun armor like it was nothing. The Turian could only stare as he saw that Spartan type armor, a sniper rifle pointed right back at him.)_

_(Famine was hungry for a fight.)_

Harbinger couldn't believe it. Sovereign had taken the Geth for himself and was assaulting the Collector's on their home turf. The Geth were not enough to overthrow these Collectors but these newer units were tearing them apart and there numbers were not few. These were… Spartans... in the hundreds, mindless killing drones that were firing, ripping, and blowing up his troops with no mercy or wasted time.

_(On Tuchanga the hunters of the Urdnot Clan were back from their patrol, noticing a large behemoth staring right at them as they reached the entrance. The Krogan let out a roar of territory arming themselves with their heavy shotguns asking for the human to identify himself.) _

_(The Horseman would have none of it, stomping over to the Krogan as they fired upon him with no results, the earth felt like it shook each footstep that was made. The Krogan growled as drew nearer, realizing they were actually belittled by this Titan. War hid his smile with his blood drenched helmet as two cannons erupted from his back and into his hands, pointed right at the Urdnot hunters. One press of each trigger decimated the Krogan bodies limb from limb. Urdnot Wrex was next.)_

Sovereign watched from above like a warlord, his Geth ship the Leviathan rivaling the size of any Collector juggernaut. His creations were doing his bidding and his future was beginning to take shape. From behind him the crosses he used to abduct Alliance and Cerberus bases continued to spit out more soulless corpses, the bodies laying on the floor only to being to twitch, and soon move. The humans he had been abducting need not live to serve him like the Horsemen did.

His army was only getting stronger either way.

_(On Ilium Liara T'Soni sat at her office desk, reading up on information of the resurrected Shepard, her hands trembling as she thought of her old lost love. She gasps as she begins to hear explosions and screams outside. She presses up against the window, taking a view of the Nos Astra skyline outside. Below she sees dying Asari security, being flung about and shredded to pieces by a weapon that belonged to the grim reaper himself)._

_(Liara was frozen as she notices the cloaked killer slowly raise his head up to her, staring down his target with no sense of haste or anxiety. The Asari began to back away as she saw the hooded figure float up towards her.)_

_(Glass shatters.)_

"Fear not organics..." Sovereign whispers into an unconscious Ashley William's ears, smelling her human scent while watching as the Collector World began to fall. "… The end…. is here… our peace is here…"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

_This is the resolution  
The end of all progress  
The death of evolution  
It bleeds all life away  
Fear  
Pain  
Hatred  
Power  
… This is the art of __**Ruin**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N: **Okie dokie 4 is done.

For answers about armors... I really don't know haha. In terms of the armors I am not one of the authors that seem to be as into those stats and stuff. If anyone can help me design some sets and describe them I'll be more for it. In my mind, all of the characters wear default stuff if that's what anyone is wondering. :) Yes... Ash in that horrible pink and white armor.

As for skipping certain recruitment, its mostly because I don't feel like writing them. I see some authors like to do that and re describe missions, I too also like to put my spin on real missions but writing this in that format would get OLD fast. And the story would be 23 chapters (And would never be complete). I like the plot to move briskly.

Like with Mordin for this chapter, I really didn't feel the need to write about how the Spartans killed all these Blue Sun soldiers again... I'd be doing that for every recruitment. (How many fancy ways can I write "And Chief killed this thing... awesome" and not get bored?)

Mordin will play a big role either way. I know for sure I want to write Jack's recruitment as well as Grunts and our favorite Drell Assassin. Samara will be recruited as well but I don't think I want to write that out haha... although her loyalty mission is another story. Legion... of course is a must. So really I plan on skipping out on two.

With Chief, Six, Rachel, Jun, and Saren in the mix its going to be a fun juggle getting everyone's part in this story their do.

And apparently everyone or at least the people that spoke up want a shot at Chief/Miranda... well we'll see. :) Haha. *Surprises are fun.* I personally love Tali too. She's as cute as anyone and she and Jun! :) ... I like that. Their accents would so fit. Anyway...

KOTOR 4 LIFE.

~ J.B.


	5. Headstrong

"_Commander. We have a problem."_

Those were words Shepard dreaded to no end yet she always seemed to hear it. It was a Commander's luck.

"What's going on Miranda?"

"_Just get to the COMM deck now… it's urgent."_

Radio silence.

"Huh, I know Miranda's usually a little uptight but she seemed a little more bothered than usual."

Noble Six commented with seemingly much experience. The Spartan masks that were just equipped with a snap glistened in the reflection of the planet Horizon below. Words weren't exchanged after Six's commentary as the five some stomped their way back to the command deck. Bad news didn't need a monologue Saren would say. Although Shepard's silence took cue more from Master Chief's calm demeanor. They were supposed to begin their descent upon Horizon. What could possibly delay this?

An elevator ride later and Shepard barged into a silent as night command center, all Cerberus agents staring into their monitors. The image was clear and harrowing. A planet below was being bombarded, molten energy piercing the sky as each destructive attack rained. The beige backdrop was turning black from the remnants of battle, the one with the dead white eyes seeming to be its overseer.

"Commander Shepard…" The dark image whispered with malcontent, the backdrop of the start of a great war brewing behind him.

"Lawson who is this?" Shepard turned to the speechless informant, who continued to just stare dumbly into the coms units.

"H-he forced a connection to the Normandy." Miranda finally stuttered after a pause. "He claims to be…"

"… Sovereign." Noble Six completed the words that made everyone's that had hairs stand up. The Spartan III didn't know how he knew but the presence was implanted into his brain like a prod.

"What?" Shepard shook her head in disbelief. "What are you talking about Six?"

"… I knew it was a little too easy to rid ourselves of you." Saren commented with a semi smirk, he too seeming to feel the all too familiar presence. The indoctrination and possession of a Reaper scars deeper than anything someone could comprehend.

It was apparent to those who met the Reaper now. This was no joke.

"Noble Six and Saren, my old henchmen." Sovereign playfully sighed at the thought of the duo. "You two turned against me but don't think I'm taking it personal or anything. You've played a part as well."

"New body, new look, new voice." Shepard scoffed. "But still the same deceptive prick."

"Hah, looks to me like you've changed yourself as well Commander." Sovereign eyed the newest Spartan up and down. "You've become one of them… smart thinking. Doing what it takes for the sake of victory. The human way." Those dead eyes rolled over towards Jun and Chief. "I see more of those Spartans have arrived. Desperation breeds genius."

From behind the ill reunion Jun felt a bit clueless just like Chief did, but the jade Spartan-II otherwise could feel the history and tension brewing like a flash fire about to erupt. John noticed the surprise and disbelief when Shepard took off her helmet to get a better look at this rotting corpse claiming to be the Reaper that tried to doom the Citadel. Her skin was a pale white. John knew this was bad. This was his first look at a Reaper… or somewhat of a Reaper…

"Skip the pleasantries and tell us how you got a new body and how you survived Reaper." Saren demanded his old master, stepping fourth. "I rather enjoyed watching your body go down in flames on the Citadel."

Sovereign laughed. "Is that a way to treat an old master Arterius? I mean Noble Six you were one hell of a tool to use. And Saren, well you made it all possible didn't you?"

"Shut up! How the hell are you still alive?" Shepard growled for the sake of her teammates.

"You can't kill what you can't understand." The Reaper-humanoid was full of himself. "That's why I've become one of you. A human… a human willing to do whatever it takes to break the cycle."

"Human?" Noble Six gave a shrug, not really impressed with this machines fake emoting. "You take over someone else's body and now are playing make believe?"

"The rapture draws near my fellow mortals and I am merely the messenger." Sovereign cryptically stated. "I survived and have transcended because fate has let me. I'm here to end the cycle that our worlds have shared for an infinite amount of time. God's Will be done."

"Well at least he goes to Church now." Six sighed.

"You're insane." Commander Shepard blinked at the monitor. "Weren't you the one who was supposed to continue the Reaper cycle of death?"

"I was used just like you humans were Shepard. Like all the Council's little lackeys. Like the Covenant. Like the Flood." Sovereign's revelation made the entire crew take a breath. Especially the original Spartans at the mention of old memories.

"Even my old kind can't realize the bullshit that has been fed to them. I am here to bring the truth. To bring things back to what it once was."

"So you've turned on your Reaper friends… typical." Saren tongue spat fire.

"If they choose to continue to be slaves then they will be destroyed." The Immortal stated with bloody intent. "But enough chatter. Things will clear up in due time. I believe we're both on busy schedules. You have something I want and there will be no delay."

"We won't deal with you until we find you and finish you off for good." Shepard angrily gritted her teeth.

"Ignorance. You treat me like an enemy when in reality I am your best ally." Sovereign playfully pointed to the back of the room. "Someone among you isn't what they seem… and I wish to bring the truth out of that being."

The finger pointed to a certain young one. Miranda gasped, realizing instantly what he wanted as she turned her head back towards the wall of the room. Rachel sat still on her chair, staring at the conversation breaking out as still as anyone else. There wasn't fear in her eyes nor was there any other reaction. She was as cold as a rock.

Sovereign's voice beamed with suggestion. "The girl comes with me now."

"You think we're going to just hand you her?" Shepard stood strong in the face of her adversary, knowing Rachel's abilities combined with this freak's psychosis was a bad plan.

"Must we always do this the hard way Commander?"

Sovereign's screen suddenly began to fade out, a split screen of four images appearing including a snug Reaper. Battles on Tuchanga, Ilium, Omega, and Haelstrom were running strong. The Spartans and Saren looked on as they watched four powerful soldiers carving through the terrain going after key targets. Six and Shepard recognized the targets instantly.

Their old teammates were barely hanging on.

_Tali_

_Garrus_

_Wrex_

_Liara_

"Soon I will have the ones you care most about Shepard in my possession." Sovereign smiled the grin of the Devil himself. "If the girl isn't within my grasp within the hour then they will all die."

"… Liara…" Shepard watched hopelessly as a hooded being she could only describe as a fucked up Spartan was chasing her mate. The Commander clenched her fist. No one would lay a finger on her if she had anything to do with it.

"You're a fucking coward." Noble Six snapped at his old nemesis. "Leave them out of this!"

"They were involved the minute they joined your cause." Sovereign was as snug as a spoiled child. A demonic one at that with little blood running down his lips. "I almost forgot. I have one already in my possession Noble Six." the sadistic preacher slowly pulled a body into view. A half-naked body of Ashley Williams stripped of all her armors. "A beautiful one isn't she?"

"Ashley!" Noble Six cringed at the sight. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"… I _am_ human now." Sovereign laughed so cold Six's back seemed to stiffen. "There were just some urges… I had to express to her." He pulled the unconscious soldier up close, smelling her naked neck and chest like a lustful miscreant. "She gladly obliged. Imagine that."

"You're as good as dead… you hear me Sovereign?" Noble Six felt every nerve snap as if it was sliced apart. "You're dead!"

"You're going to kill me huh?" Sovereign smeared a bit of blood on Williams face. "I think we've played this game before Spartan…"

"Stop this at once!"

In an instant all the tension crashed to the floor. The entire crew turned and was not used to hearing their little Rachel yell so loud. Miranda turned seeing the young girl walk slowly towards the monitor, the informant stopping her before she could get too close. The Reaper history in Rachel wouldn't allow her 'big sis' to let her get near.

"Rachel don't you even speak to him! He's just going to-"

"Ms. Lawson… it's alright." Rachel gently pushed her aside taking center stage. "Tell your soldiers to stop Sovereign. Put down Ashley Williams now."

"You fool them well my little devil." Sovereign hissed condescendingly, still holding the Alliance soldier too close for comfort. "You've really convinced yourself that you can care about these mortals?"

"… Just let them go and I will come to you."

Sovereign put his finger to his chin in mocking thought, staring at the purple haired girl as he finally placed Ashley back down to the floor after a tenuous pause. "The charade ends here immortal. You're one of us and you belong over on this side. You're no more a true human than I am. You will serve your purpose."

"Rachel…" Miranda looked at the young girl as she slouched. "What's he talking about?"

The telepath gave a long sigh, turning to them with a look and sound of not a young girl but a mature woman. "You all are not ready to face what's ahead. Not yet." Her voice grew much stronger, her eyes shimmering amethyst. Suddenly four brilliant lights began to shine in the middle of the com center, glowing like pulsing flares floating in midair.

"There's no more time…" Rachel's voice was of defeat. "I tried to stall this but it seems it was inevitable." She turned to the Spartans and crew. "Listen to me. You have to go save your friends now. Noble Six and Ms. Lawson come with me. I will make sure you all are safe as we retrieve Ms. Williams."

"Rachel what's going on?" Shepard asked earnestly.

"Ms. Shepard do you trust me?"

"Y-yes… but…"

"Then please we have no time." Rachel said softly, only to scowl at the image waiting behind her as she turned her attention. "You heard me. I'm arriving shortly. Call off your attackers now!"

"I'm a _man _of my word." Sovereign spoke irony with an evil glare. "It's done. But I am running out of patience. Don't keep me waiting. My Horsemen get impatient as well. I'll be seeing you all soon."

And like that the connection was disconnected.

It didn't take long until the entire Normandy Ship was in frantic chatter.

"Rachel we need to talk now!" Miranda held her shoulders shaking her like a protective parent. "What aren't you telling us?"

"You wouldn't understand…" Rachel only sighed as she was shook as if her tongue was locked down.

"I am not letting that Reaper touch you!" Miranda held her. "You are not going! You hear me?"

"It'll be okay." Her gray hand patted her cheek with a kind stroke. "I promise." She turned to a shocked crew with those large eyes. "I brought Noble Six, Jun, and Master Chief here for a reason. I trust in you all. Please just trust in me."

"We can't give you to Sovereign." Shepard was as frustrated as ever. "No matter… Who we lose…"

"You have no choice in this Ms. Shepard." Rachel spoke back sternly much to the Commander's surprise. Shepard hadn't heard this much fervor since she worked for the Reapers. "Either way I am going to Sovereign. You all are not ready to deal with this threat yet."

"Ready?" Noble Six looked at her accusingly as if this girl had some sort of plan, like she herself was some mastermind pulling them around like puppets. "Rachel… ready for what?"

"You all need to continue to get stronger." Rachel looked at them all in an analytical scan. She eyed Master Chief as the final glare of hope. "And to recruit the best of the best. You all will know what to do when the time is right."

_Rachel… what are you? _

"Cortana." The young girl turned to the A.I. terminal, suddenly opening up her hand, a holographic pulse releasing from her hand.

"What's this?" Cortana stared at it as the glowing beacon was in her hands floating.

"… Open it when the time is right." Rachel grinned at the hologram as she waved. "I trust you'll take care of all of them."

Cortana looked at the girl, only to nod. The Construct felt a sadness overwhelm her.

"Hold on a minute here!" Miranda growled. "This is going a little too fast for me."

"There's no time… let's go." Rachel's eyes began to glow as each of the four portals began to expand in no time the selected Spartans and Saren began to fade out, the group seemingly vanishing into the thin air.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Liara slowly opened her eyes, a dazed vision slowly focusing itself. She felt at her aching body, feeling cold steel pressed up against her spine. She was leaning and slumped against a wall, now remembering she was in battle. What had invaded her office, struck so fast and so overwhelming she didn't have a chance. All her biotic attacks seemed to bounce off this Spartan's barrier and any bullets seemed to be negated by this familiar armor. How she was even alive she had no idea.

"… Who are you?"

The whispered words came as the dark figure floating above her was staring down with no words or sound. It was a skull mask with a frozen sadistic smile that wouldn't leave. Floating in a meditative position her attacker was fuming with biotic energy, a large scythe draped across its lap. Death was eager. Sitting there, staring at his potential next victim at first word from his master.

Liara attempted to stand up only to have the scythe graze her face, glowing hauntingly as it threatened to behead her.

"Stand back!" Liara heard a voice yell from behind, Death turning and staring down the new arrival.

The Asari suddenly bolted in a roll, scrambling at the first chance for an open escape. Liara glanced upwards seeing a familiar armor and imagery that she had only seen in security cameras and photographs. She knew who it was instantly.

"Shepard." Liara clung onto the new Spartan. "I knew you would come."

"Are you alright?" The Commander had her pistol pointed and ready to fire at this new age Spartan.

"Y-yes… I am fine… but who is this?" Liara blinked, not even her intelligence networks being able to identify this mysterious dark Spartan.

"I don't know…" Shepard didn't even want to begin to think about how Sovereign did this. With Liara safe in her arms she could finally analyze this new threat and it wasn't making her feel any better.

Death's neck craned towards the two, his scythe being unsheathed, his free hand fuming with biotic energy as if he warned them not to move. It was a frozen stalemate and Shepard's eyes wouldn't leave this new target.

"You move you die." Shepard threatened only to receive no reply.

_Death… fears no one…_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"Reegar!" Tali couldn't believe her eyes as she saw her second in command literally fade in front of her. Some sort of tech blast hit him as he shoved the young Quarian out of the way. It was like battery acid as it tore at the Quarian's armor, soon exposing his body, only to liquidate that as well like it was being torched by direct contact with the sun. She'd never seen such an attack. Reegar's death made her cry out in an anger she rarely had felt.

"You fucking bosh'tet!" Tali began to unload shotgun shells that barely dented that impenetrable armor, Plague looking down at the liquefied pile of Quarian goo, treating Tali like an annoying fly.

"You Quarians are an amusing bunch." Plague mocked her, running his fingers through the tattered armor and liquidated corpse. "So weak…"

Tali just backed off into the corner of the base, knowing she was about to meet her end if she didn't think of something soon. Low on ammo and it being ineffective anyway, she knew she had little chance one on one with a Spartan. If anything her experience with Noble Six told her was that they were bred to kill. This type of Spartan seemed even more inclined to test that theory.

A scorching inferno delayed the proceedings.

"What the hell?" Plague turned to see large flaming attacks scorch away at his armor, blinding the Horsemen.

"Perhaps we should wisely move now if you so kindly would aid me to safety!"

Tali felt her arm being grabbed, a Salarian with a motor mouth had created just enough of a diversion to make their move. The two bolted out the door with little hesitation, the Quarian knowing this mystery ally to be her only hope for help right now.

"What's going on?" Tali ran alongside him, too happy for any help to question it.

"We are here to aid you to safety with Commander Shepard's orders." Mordin Solus rapidly replied as they chugged along the shadows of Haelstorm.

"Shepard?" Tali blinked. "Where is Shepard? And who is we? I only see one of you!"

Plague bolted out the door, pulling out an assault rifle ready to spray the duo only to be hammered with rounds seemingly out of nowhere causing the Horsemen to sprawl back. Tali heard the gun shots but the attacker was not to be seen. That was the first kind of damage done to the Spartan imposter at all.

"I am assuming that's him?" Tali dove behind cover Mordin following close by.

"Astute observation," Mordin turned around firing off rounds as fast as he commented, trying to slow down this unstoppable machine himself.

"Finally… a worthy adversary arrives." Plague admired as his armor was finally dented with what seemed to be advanced modded Reaper sniper rounds. The sniper attempting to pick him off was about 500 yards away and his tech picked up the signal of a Spartan. A camouflaged warrior was now in his sights.

"I guess we know what took out those bases now." Jun muttered his scope centering on the MJOLNIR armor. It was a strange feeling for sure.

The sniper rounds began to fall again.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Garrus couldn't keep this moving target at bay. As good as a sniper he was this Spartan armored assassin was moving just too fast to get a bead on him. Swords a blazing his target leaps through the bridge, landing on a casing while unsheathing his own rifle.

"Come on you can do better than that Turian!" Famine took aim with his scope, firing a few rounds, sending Garrus sprawling into cover as they ripped through metal. Several bullets cleared a couple of reinforced cases cleanly through, making the blue armored vigilante huff in amazement.

"What the Hell is a Spartan doing here?" Garrus tossed aside his damaged Archangel helmet, taking a thinking breath of desperation. "Heck… is that even a Spartan?"

"Don't insult me!" Famine was suddenly above him, a sword slashing down with a brilliant spark. With the reaction of a Spectre candidate, the Turian rolled off to the side and pulled out his pistol to reply with rapid fire triggers. Doing little damage Garrus got up, taking off in a sprint, a spray off incendiary bullets trailing him, taking out Blue Sun mercenaries who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Horsemen was laughing manically in the carnage his submachine guns ripping the area apart.

"Hey where you going? We're just starting to have fun!" The slender rusted Horsemen closed the distance about to take Garrus legs from under him with a sweep until a biotic pulse sent Famine soaring across the room and slamming into a cluster of med crates.

"… I know you're not the happiest to see me but Shepard sends her regards." Saren's eyes had the look of a biotic user pushed to his limits, standing in front of Garrus.

"You're the last person I expected to see." The former C-Sec officer stood his ground, not fully trusting this aid but knew he had no choice. "So the rumors are true. Shepard's alive and you're aiding her and Noble Six."

"Explanations later." Saren didn't even turn to face him. "Get out of here while I deal with this pest."

"You can't take him on yourself." Garrus was surprised he was standing up for this traitor, a Turian who stained the legacy of all Turians when he sided with the Geth and Sovereign.

"Shepard's orders." Saren said words that made the Commander's former squad mate blink. "Now go before I force you out myself."

"Hah… well at least I know it's really you."

"No one's going anywhere." Famine dusted himself walking towards them unsheathing his two katana blades. Seeing Saren Arterius made the Horsemen chuckle to himself. "Wow, nice to see the boss' old junk. You should've served till the end Turian."

"Sorry, I didn't like the job security." Saren was prepared to unleash a singularity attack that would bend the room.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~ **

Tuchanga was already a pile of crap as a third party eye was concerned. As the Horsemen War was bombarding the Urdnot complex with artillery fit for a Mako, the planet was getting a makeover not for the better.

"Sir, do not go out there. Many have fallen. This thing is not a-"

"I'm no coward and if you're an Urdnot you wouldn't be either!" Wrex spat, adorning his helmet and shoving his inferior off. With no fear he walks towards the tank without a hitch arming himself with that shotgun. Spartan or not, he was a Battlemaster. An Urdnot let alone the Krogan bow nor cower to no one.

"You have a lot of guts walking out here by yourself." War complimented with an eerie laugh, pulling down his rocket launcher. "Stupid but admirable Krogan."

"You come here and stomp on my backyard?" Wrex smirked with that big mouth of his, pulling his signature shotgun to his side all business. "Big mistake…"

The blood drenched Horsemen shook his head. "The Krogan lying on the floor dead made the mistake Urdnot."

"You came here for me." Wrex gave him the finger. "We'll I'm here."

"Makin the job easier for me. Much appreciated!" War prepared for battle, pulling out his heavy chaingun like a certain Noble Squad member would do. In a flurried blast looking to finish it early he began to unleash a barrage of countless ammunition.

Wrex was about to reply fire but noticed that the blasts weren't coming through. In fact a shade of diamond shaped blue colors surrounded him like a protective shell of some kind. He focuses passed the covering, noticing a green soldier clad in Spartan armor in front of him, standing between him and the machine known as War. Wrex had a flashback to himself as he knew who it was. Noble Six described him perfectly to a t.

"Urdnot Wrex. I'm Master Chief." The Spartan-II stared down the titan Horsemen. "Shepard says hi."

"So they finally got you after all." Wrex chuckled big the only way he knew how. "I was looking forward to seeing you in action myself." He stepped out of the shield barrier, cocking his shotgun and standing next to the legend.

"_Watch out Chief. This guy reads like a Spartan." _Cortana was running battle analysis._ "I don't know how this is possible but Sovereign's got the recipe down or something."_

"Keep yourself safe Wrex, Shepard wants you back alive."

"Shepard isn't here. I'm in this fight as much as you Spartan."

"She told me you'd be stubborn." Master Chief nodded with expectance as War was licking his chops, John not really in the mood for a debate right now.

"The Master Chief is here." War cracked his knuckles as he powered forward. "Let's see if the stories are true shall we?"

"_Let's get him Chief!"_

John pulled out his gun and began to send out his ammo in waves, rushing towards his titanic target with that MC stalking approach. Wrex stomped off towards the right in a flanking maneuver, popping War with shotgun fire with every opportunity. War absorbed the hits like the immovable object he was, sending a rapid fire of concussion rounds towards the Krogan and Spartan. Wrex was clipped sending him back towards cover as Chief managed to dodge the blasts.

"_What is this guy? Are we even doing any damage?"_

"Probably not."

Chief was now a couple of meters in front of him, War growling as he swiped at the Spartan-II with his forearm that was as big as Loki Mech. John saw the strike coming ducking underneath, suddenly plowing his rifle into War's chest and unloading every round he had. Sparks flew and burn marks appeared but the damage was still minimal. War smiled as Chief knew he was in trouble, suddenly hitting his jetpack to make a hasty escape.

"My turn." War began smashing Chief's shield with his chaingun, tearing through the barrier, hitting Chief a couple of times sending him rolling through the air and smashing into sand.

"Chief are you alright?" Wrex made his way over taking War's attention.

"Just watch out for yourself." John-117 looked up swiftly, brushing off the attack like it was nothing to see an opening he needed. Pulling some grenades out Chief made a dash leaping onto War's back and clutching around his large helmet for dear life. The Horsemen shook and shook, his girth actually working against him this time.

"Get off me!" War bellowed as every grenade John had was jammed onto his back, pressed into that tough armor. Chief nodded as he was complying with the request, leaping off in an evasive roll to safety. Wrex didn't give a blink of hesitation as he backed off suddenly the Horsemen igniting in a brilliant explosion, a cluster of sand and building debris shooting into the air, smoke covering the battle zone.

"We're not done are we?" Wrex growled, his battle intuition knowing not even that could stop something like War.

"No, not even close." Cortana said aloud on Chief's shoulder until her senses picked up danger. It ran in slow motion for the A.I. Construct. "C-CHIEF MOVE!"

John-117 knew there wasn't time for the order as he locked his armor up, blue energy covering him in the tightest protective shield ever made. A split second later and a CAIN nuke was headed right at him from the black smoke itself, sending another thunderous charge into a mushroom. The explosion shook the entire area as a megaton of energy was released, a shockwave taking down anything in its apth. Wrex was taken back as he stared on, really wondering if the Spartan-II could have survived it.

"Of course you could." Wrex muttered as in a huge crater sized hole stood Master Chief only a bit scathed still ready for a fight.

"You really are the legend." War himself was only a bit scathed as well, his heart pumping with excitement of this challenge. "Too bad it has to end here."

RUMBLE.

"What now…?" John sighed, looking around as he felt the entire ground shake loose beneath him. Sharp teeth and a roar let themselves make sure that things weren't getting better for our Spartan-II.

"_Chief! Get out of there! It's a Thresher Maw!"_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Noble Six lead the pack as he walked passed each dark hallway of the ship Leviathan. Rachel's telepathic abilities seemed to know no bounds as he knew each of the team was sent off to a location by her. Why she was hiding abilities from them he didn't have time to think about it. They were lied to about what Rachel was. Sovereign was alive and destroying worlds. All that seemed secondary. Six felt a weakness he never had felt before. He cared for someone more than the mission itself.

Chief warned him about this.

"Do not worry Ashley Williams is safe." Rachel calmed him walking still dressed in Cerberus gear.

"Why aren't you telling us what's going on Rachel?" Miranda followed her, still biting her lip for the sake of the mission. "You say you trust us but I don't feel you are."

"Because you can't know just yet…" The young mystery sighed. "Please don't make this harder than it is. Just trust me."

"I trust you but, me coming here. You being able to take people from other worlds?" Noble Six held his little sis by the hand. "This isn't one big coincidence. This isn't some random occurrence. You're not human are you? Who's playing who? Were you playing with Sovereign? Was he controlling you?"

"…" Rachel bit her lip, seemingly at a loss not being able to answer them.

"Now now, leave the 'child' alone and let's get down to business." Sovereign faded in like a phantom that had appeared from the darkness of oblivion.

"You fucking piece of shit where's Ashley?" Noble Six pulled out his assault rifle and his finger was at the trigger.

"She'll appear when that little devil comes with me." Sovereign happily replied, eyeing the Spartan he attempted to possess on the Citadel that year ago. "You're looking refreshed aren't you? Time flies when you're building an army."

"I'm going to finish you." Six wanted no more than to take this freak's head off right here and right now with his blade.

"Empty threats as always Six," The former Reaper shrugged. "You could've been this messenger. And you could be the one to unlock the key to this rapture… aren't I right my little devil?" he eyed the young girl.

"Shut up!" Rachel growled, clenching her fist.

"My dear little Rachel. You putting so much faith in so little is unlike any of your predecessors." Sovereign laughed. "Only I can save the world that was meant to be."

"… You underestimate them just like the others." Rachel crossed her arms. "It will be different this time."

"It doesn't matter what you think. You will fulfill your destiny no matter how much you tried to deny it."

"What are you two babbling about?" Miranda demanded, holding Rachel protectively as they were being spoken about like pawn pieces in a galactic chess game. "What are we supposed to do?"

"You will do nothing." Sovereign scolded the Cerberus informant, the former Reaper motioning for a Geth to bring the body of Ashley Williams forward, the unconscious body being held up by a few Geth units.

"Ash!" Noble Six tried to walk to her but was stopped with a gun to Ashley's forehead. "H-hey hold it!"

"I'll come with you. Please just stop!" Rachel begged not wanting to see any of them harmed. She breathed heavy turning to Miranda and Six. "You will let these two along with Ms. Williams go unharmed got it?"

Sovereign merely nodded without a word, that cocky arrogant bloody smile on his face, waiting for the exchange.

"Rachel… you can't leave us." Miranda held her tightly, denying of this plan. "I can't keep my mouth shut."

"It's my time to go." Rachel frowned at the sight of her guardian distraught, hugging the closest thing she had to a mother. "… Just listen to me. No matter how hopeless it gets. No matter what you think I've become, or how bad the world is. Have faith in one another."

"Rachel" Noble Six scowled. "No! There has to be another way! We don't even know what's-"

"You only need to know that you all need each other. I brought you all together. Now finish this together." Rachel smiled as a tear glistened in her eye, she began to loosen her hug. "Good bye Ms. Lawson… Brother Six."

"No damn it!" Miranda choked up as she was forced back with a gentle biotic push. Rachel began to walk towards Sovereign and the Geth, her eyes not leaving the two she thought of as her mother and brother. "Rachel we'll come back for you!"

"You showed me hope in mortal life." Rachel smiled one last time as she waved. "Support one another. And please have hope…"

"Aw how touching…" Sovereign suddenly grabbed the girl by the neck, choking her till she couldn't even speak. "Now we have work to do…"

"Don't harm her!" Miranda began to flare up with energy only to be shot at with a biotic repulse from Sovereign. Miranda skidded across the floor banging her head to the ground. Rachel gasped, struggling against the Immortal's grip, slowly beginning to black out.

"Drop Ms. Williams." Sovereign began walking off as if these heroes amounted to nothing. "Enjoy your last days Noble Six. Just remember you could've lead this victory."

"Ashley!" Noble Six ran over, picking up the limp lieutenant who was still thankfully breathing. Holding the young soldier close, the Spartan-III watched on helplessly as Rachel and Sovereign disappeared into the shadows. With the calm of a Spartan he rushed back to check on Miranda, who was slowly coming to her senses.

"What, is he preparing for?" Miranda grimaced, looking around them as they began to hear footsteps.

One by one they began to appear on cue, about a hundred gray MJOLNIR armors filing in a straight line, walking right pass Miranda and Six as if they were ghosts. They looked like lifeless soldiers marching to a death sentence. Lifeless Spartans. All the look and power but none of the humanity that separated them from killing machines. Miranda clenched next to Six tightly as the two didn't know what to make of this.

A few hisses from behind them now caught their attention, red eyes glowing in the dark that made Six do a double take.

"It's been a long time since Reach human." A cryptic warped voice of a Sanghelli whispered, an energy blade igniting the dark hallway. "Our master may have let you go… but we haven't."

"Y-you know these guys?" Miranda backed up with all the nerves in the world, pulling out her pistol.

"Yeah, I killed them all before…" Six looked at their injuries, noticing that these wounds shouldn't appear on something that was alive. "Or so I thought…"

The news as not good. Noble Six didn't want to believe the bad news on top of the bad news but it was as real as it could get.

The Covenant he killed to get to this universe were here and alive.

And they were out for blood.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

(Sangehelli | Homeworld)

**Briefing Log**

_"Arbiter..."_

_"What is it...?"_

_"There's trouble..."_

_"Jiralhanae...?"_

_"No... there's something wrong... with the artifacts in space."_

_"... Halo?"_

_"... Multiple of them."_

_"What is wrong?"_

_"... You must see... for yourself..."_

_"Prepare the ships..."  
_

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. A death in the family and school were the culprits. I appreciate everyone who is supporting the story. I won't let you guys down... or at least try not to. :)

This is for my uncle. I miss you unc!


	6. Trigger

( Halo Installation 05 | _Shadow of Intent _)

Like any juggernaut in the recently defeated Covenant army, the Shadow of Intent was a beast of a carrier to command. The shipmaster Thel'Vadam was as steady as any Sanghelli would be and then some. Many would say the perfect Arbiter for such a warrior race in desperate times.

After the Human-Flood war, the Sanghelli had been attempting to recover slowly but effectively. Dealing with the constant threat of the dismantled Covenant loyalists, mainly Jirnalhae, had been delaying the progress. Betrayal from their religious beliefs had left the species on a search for purpose, their soul searching for a way of life just as important as their very own physical survival. Saying their faith and hope was destroyed when the Prophets were exposed as frauds would be putting it lightly.

Thel, the hero of his people had always tried to help his people keep the faith. The Arbiter was their answer and the many puzzled Sanghelli staring at their sacred icon Halo needed words of wisdom.

"What do you make of this?" Rtas Vadum, his second in command broke the Arbiter's thoughts. Thel's reply was only a large cluster of contemplations that didn't manifest itself in any audible words, shape or form.

This wasn't the first time Thel had been overwhelmed with a sight. All Sanghelli on board this Covenant assault carrier had the same reaction for good reason. The entire Halo ring, their holy religious artifact from the Forerunners had a blue tinted glow around the entire structure, stretching across the vast circumference of the station. The glow was stable but extremely present, making the entire Halo construct a beacon of bright shimmering flares. Knowing the danger of these weapons this was a cause for concern.

"… Is it threatening to-"

"No," Thel answered quickly and surely to ease his peer's alertness. "It does not seem like it's about to fire." The four jawed warrior finished with much personal experience.

"Then what do we do?" Rtas long neck curled towards the sight. "Rumors are spreading quickly of a reckoning. That perhaps our forefathers are coming to take back what's rightfully theirs. What should we tell our people?"

"I honestly do not know if this is an omen or a blessing brother." Arbiter crossed his arms in completed thought, signaling to the entire crew with a snap of his clawed finger. "But I do know that we will not leave anything to chance and misguided faith ever again."

"We will do as you command Arbiter…" Rtas bowed with a fist over his chest to signify his allegiance.

"We're sending a strike force upon Halo." Those sharp jaws barked behind silver sacred armor. "Tell the alpha troops to prepare for deployment alongside me. Only a small amount of us is necessary if something goes wrong."

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~ **

( Ilium | Nos Astra Market District )

An air car tries to slow down to no avail. It was too quick and the distance was too short. The black object that had seemed to fall from thin air stared into the eyes of the driver, a bright purple energy flowing from it. In a split second the aircar was supposed to flatten its target. Instead it was literally halved, a scythe tearing straight down the center of the vehicle, sending two chunks of technological splendor skidding into buildings, igniting rattling explosions.

"There are innocent people down there Shepard!" Liara formed out a large barrier shield that saved a group of fleeing Nos Astrians from dangerous debris.

"You're right! Can't let this thing do anymore damage like this." Shepard regretted using that grenade to punch Death through the window, suddenly leaping out of the building into a free fall, taking aim at the Horseman below with heat seeking crosshairs.

Death swung his scythe around in a brilliant tornado, forming bolts of biotic energy in his free hand, trying to pick Shepard out from the air with accurate shots. Using her booster pack to guide herself, Shepard maneuvered around the amethyst surges, opening herself up to a few reply shots, driving her rounds into Death's armor. The Horseman took little damage, his hood scattering apart as it was torn by the rapid fire rifle the Commander was wielding.

_Crap. I think I'm just making him angrier!_

In a furious charge Death leapt up, scythe pulled back ready to slash Shepard in half. The Commander saw the eerie glowing form close in and right now she was a sitting duck for a mad man with an energy blade on a stick. In as quick as a reaction of Death's launch, the Spartan IV cut off her jetpack's power. She wanted to close the distance quicker, using gravity and plummeting, hammering into Death like a meteor before she was going to be dissected. The two Spartans hit the ground rolling in a huge impact, struggling, and destroying – Spartan armors not being kind to the surroundings at all.

"I don't have a clear shot!" Liara landed after she had floated herself down with her biotics, seeing the two crashing into a nearby kiosk, on cue an Asari merchant scurrying off in a desperate scream.

"Liara! There's a portal three hundred yards behind the transport deck!" Shepard had her hands on the scythe wrestling Death as they stood. "I need you to get to it now!"

"You are insane if you expect me to leave you again!"

"The mission is your safety! Get there so I can high tail it out of here too! Agh!" Shepard was suddenly torqued, the blunt side of the scythe smashing her helmet on the side, sending her flying into another kiosk. Dazed and helmet damaged, Death began its cold walk towards a vulnerable Shepard, the Spartan trying to get up as fast as she could.

"No! We will go together!" Liara's voice was far from the soft spoken girl Shepard left a year ago. She was determined not to let the Commander have her way this time. The young Asari began firing her pistol with no fear of her own, Shepard being a victim of death again not an option. The bullets hit their mark in sparks, Death taking every shot and attempting to cover himself as he let out a screech. He began to move towards Liara in a rage only to be hit with a cluster of biotic pushes that put a halt onto his advances.

"You're more stubborn since I left… I guess that's a good thing for now." Shepard's eyes lit up red, pulling out an M77- Missile Launcher from her back aimed dead on with the Horseman's head. "Let's see how you like this…"

The rocket was sent with a pulled trigger, shattering into that Horseman's armor, testing it to its fullest extent. Death's body rag dolled into a building, the inferno from the M77 flaring like a brilliant star in the sky as the entire area felt the heat and power of the projectile. The scurrying innocents were far away, only some strays catching all of the action, screaming profanities at the insanity of two Spartan echelon warriors going at it.

"Let's go now!" Shepard grabbed Liara's hand as she was just staring at the nearly imploded building in a look of disbelief.

"That must have killed it." Liara muttered as the nearby bank was on fire, damage residue falling from the higher floors, flames crackling.

"That's wishful thinking." Shepard took her up into her arms, and began to dash off with every bit of energy in her body. She did so with good reason as well. It wasn't too long until building debris was ignited, flaring away in another large explosion, Death standing slowly walking away from the wreckage seemingly as good as he started.

_Death is always creeping over your shoulder…_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

On Haelstrom, the sun's destructive rays were usually the main culprit these days. Tali, Mordin, and Jun would clearly beg to differ. Even with all three of their combined efforts, this Plague seemed unstoppable. The trio had been throwing every trick of the trade they knew. Ironically the Doctor of the group had run out of ideas to cure this sickness.

"Perhaps it is a good idea if we make haste and leave." Mordin blurted with no hope, emptying his pistol rounds with a disappointed grunt. "Percentage of survival not good here. Not good at all. We are not prepared."

"I will not run from someone who killed my fellow Quarians." Tali was as angry as fearful as she watched as a couple of hacked Geth's were literally crushed by Plague's fist, the machines crumbling to the floor with a silent thump.

"This is not a fight for you two." Jun had closed the distance as silent as a sniper would once he realized his long distance shots were only slowing this beast down. "Professor Solus take Tali back to portal as Shepard instructed. I'll buy you both the time you need."

"I cannot let you do that." Tali shook her head in defiance. "We will bring this monster to justice as a unit! That's our best chance."

"This is not your call!" Jun shoved her and Mordin down as gunfire came their way, the Spartan taking the brunt of the blasts hitting cover as his camo armor was now burned in several spots. "… L-look you're only going to compromise my safety! Get the hell out of here now!"

Tali just stared at the Spartan's blank mask staring back her, realizing that he was right. Without this sniper here, she and the Salarian would've been toast by now. Mordin was already nodding along, giving the affirmative with those large Salarian orbs as he knew the weight and objective danger of the situation.

"Alright Professor… take us to safety." Tali conceded with a sigh, Mordin leading the way as she turned back to admire the Spartan way. This one was just like Noble Six. Always thinking about others beyond themselves. But how would a Spartan deal with something that was so similar to them?

"You think you can stop me Jun-A266?" Plague strafed across slowly and methodically sizing up his original brethren.

"You know my name and number, how?" Jun got up from cover, pulling out his closer combat minded weapon, the good old assault rifle.

"I know almost everything about our predecessors." The white Horseman informed with much calm. "And I also know that your kind's time is over. The new age has begun as you can see."

"You're nothing but cheap knock offs and we Spartans are going nowhere for no one." Jun opened fire on the Horsemen without warning, Plague forming a shield with a touch of his omni-tool. The rounds wouldn't pierce through as expected, Plague only amusingly taking aim with his modded out rifle. Backing into cover the two began a firefight that only two people of their skill would have a chance at.

Plague seemed no longer concerned with his original target. Jun was his test and what a test it was going to be.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Saren's and Garrus experience was letting them keep up with their opponent. Those two knew the situation. Brute force wasn't going to take down Famine. It was like ballistics of close ranged, far-ranged, and mid-ranged attacks. This Spartan spawn was putting on a clinic on how a soldier should do battle. Meanwhile of course yapping his mouth the entire time like a trash talking Spartan would.

"Oh Tu~rians… come out and plaaa~y."

The sound echoed out the dead zone, Garrus and Saren backed up against a crate from across the warehouse. Running and hiding and picking their spots to attack seemed to be the best plan and had given them the most success.

"Now I remember why I hate humans so much." Saren was patching up a blade wound on his shoulder. His partner was still in a surreal moment, being teamed up with the guy they tried so hard to take down only a year ago.

"Huh, never thought you've full softened up." Garrus peaked around as he confirmed his assessment of Saren, reloading his rounds calmly. "You think he really lost us?"

Saren scoffed as he eyed Garrus in disappointment, suddenly grabbing an empty medi-gel canister, tossing it upward, almost instantly a sniper rifle shot cutting through the medi-gel shattering it.

"That answers my question…"

Saren and Garrus suddenly nodded at one another as they pulled out their arms, splitting up both firing towards Famine hoping to get enough hits in. The rusted armor warrior evaded the attacks, using his dual SMGs, lighting up the two as they both dove into more cover. Both Turians cursed in their native tongue. Another waste of bullets. Another stalemate.

"Why do you serve someone who is so quick to turn on you?" Saren yelled out.

"Are you actually trying to talk your way out of this Grandpa Time?" Famine laughed as he stalked them from afar. "Just because you didn't meet the demands of the job doesn't mean we're going to end up like you."

"Sovereign only looks out for himself human." The Turian biotic peered over trying to get a bead on the Spartan, noticing this one seemed to like to talk a lot more than any one he had ever met.

"I really don't give a shit what master wants in the end." The Horseman shrugged. "He gave me the opportunity to kill and do whatever the fuck I want."

"You're a complicated one aren't you?" Garrus chimed in, as he saw Saren make some Turian military hand signs to him, the sniper expert nodding as another plan was being created.

"You will regret serving him human." Saren warned just to keep the conversation going as energy began shifting into his chest, forming a biotic sphere.

"Our time's almost up. We either win or lose." Famine began speaking of something beyond either of the two. "My last days will be my best days Turians. And killing you both will do just fine."

"Well you're right about one thing." Saren's energy began to rattle the area around him as he let out a surge of biotics to the center of the room, suddenly all object beginning to cyclone and funnel. "Your end is coming soon!"

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"_Chief, Thresher Maws have a bit of a temper if you noticed."_

Cortana and her cold humor were always as much of a mood breaker as it was a relaxer. John didn't even reply and wasn't expected to. He noticed the fact quite quickly and was busy dealing with the tantrum at the moment. Running against the whirling sand in a flurry of sprints, dodging these acidic spheres of destruction, he was also trying to avoid claws that tried to impale him like a kebob. If a Horseman wasn't bad enough a titanic monster underneath the ground trying to make him lunch certainly wasn't helping things. War was only finding amusement in the cat and mouse game.

"Better keep on moving Master Chief." War shot down an acidic projectile that was headed his way. "Shame if this ended with you as Thresher meat."

John felt a shift in the sand and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Even with no experience battling a beast like this he was already a pro. The sand was what needed to be read. This was a pattern that he was picking up knowing this was a chance for a perfect counter attack. As if it was second nature Master Chief leapt up into the air at least ten meters, a claw was about to snatch him from below. Pointing his rifle straight at the Maw, tearing into its neck flesh with each round, he made it roar into the air in pain as each shot got passed the armor plating in perfect precision between the gaps.

"Not bad." War too felt a shaking underneath him, now seeing the claw appear like a vice. His counter attack was much more direct, the large Spartan grabbing the talon with both hands suddenly pulling it with a force unfathomable to any human being or Krogan for that matter. A loud shriek from the Thresher Maw pierced the ears of all those around.

"Hey human we're not done with you yet!" Wrex's voice bellowed into War's attention, the Horseman turning to see a platoon of Krogans pumping him full of shotgun blasts. The hits were more annoying than painful but it was backing him up, War tossing the giant Thresher Maw claw as he prepared to deal with the angry homers.

"I need to end this now." Chief gathered himself for a much needed finish, not wanting anymore casualties.

"_Our weapons don't have enough kick to take out this Spartan. But-"_

"He might have something we can use…" Chief didn't pause a bit, beginning to sprint towards War like a battering ram. The Spartans collided, Chief taking the worst of it as it seemed the mass of War making it like he was running into a wall.

"You're an honorable fighter but you're out of date." War grasped him by his neck hammering Chief in his chest plate and face before tossing him like a ragdoll into a building. John hit the floor as concrete plummeted onto him, the Spartan-II wincing actually never really being hit like that ever before… not even from the strongest Brutes.

"_Chief are you alright?"_

"W-what do you think?" John got up slowly making War skew his face from behind his mask.

"W-what how did you…" War looked to his side noticing his secret weapon was gone, turning to see Chief pointing the Horseman modded Cain launcher pointed at him.

"Be more careful next time kid." John-117 pulled the trigger literally igniting the entire area as it was a direct hit. The mini explosion rocked him back but he didn't stop, turning and sending another destructive round over towards a reeling Thresher Maw, it too disappearing into a mushroom cloud of fire in a dying scream.

The results of the battle withstanding the Krogan looked around seeing nothing in sight except John-117 cracked armor and all, standing all alone, a Thresher Maw and the most destructive one man army they have ever seen gone. This Spartan-II had won a respect few have ever gotten from the Krogan. They were all mega-mouth wide agape.

"_Do you always have to scare the crap out of me Chief? You're hurt!"_

"Wouldn't be a mission without a moment would it?" John muttered back as he double checked that the coast was indeed clear. The last two up close blows from War did a number on him, his helmet visor was cracked across and his chest plate was contused. That Spartan had some power. This wasn't normal even for the best Spartans John knew. He was thanking the stars for those reinforced bones. Otherwise he would've been a pancake.

"That was insane!" Wrex laughed walking up to the green Spartan alongside his brethren. "You made a Thresher Maw look like child's play while dealing with that rogue Spartan. I gotta say, you've reached expectations human."

"Urdnot Wrex," Chief turned with no time to mellow out. "I need you to come with me. Shepard doesn't want no for an answer."

Wrex thought about his project and his purpose here on his home world. He knew whatever Shepard wanted, judging by what he say here today with Master Chief, was a big problem that needed to be solved. With a mere nod he looked to his followers. This Krogan wasn't done serving with the Normandy's Commander just yet. The Urdnot Clan's revival needed to be delayed.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"Ungh… what's going on?"

"God damn finally you're awake!"

Ashley Williams felt a wavy sensation of nausea hit her as she felt she was floating on a cloud. Her eyes opened to a sight that made her instantly shock her system into full consciousness. A zombified Jackal lunging with claws ready to tear into you, saliva dripping is better than any black coffee. Ash braced for impact but a pistol shot that ripped through the Covenant striker's face sputtered its attack.

"Come on take my pistol and help me get us out of here!" Miranda Lawson was dragging Ashley along, a pack of Grunts and Jackals being held back by biotic barriers the Cerberus agent was forming.

"Sovereign…" Ashley muttered as her soldier instincts took over, taking the pistol and firing it upon these monsters that attacked the Collectors on Horizon. After picking off two Grunts she turned and looked her Cerberus rescuer in the eye. "You came to save me?"

"Me and Noble Six!" Miranda grimaced as she had to biotically shove a path as another Jackal tried to stop their advancement. Ashley broke free from Miranda's aid, cycling around, pointing right down the barrel of her pistol firing at will.

"Where is he?" Ashley's concerned quickly shifted as a Grunt tried to lunge at her, only to be batted away, sending it careening off a bridge.

"He's creating a diversion so we can get out! We can't let him down!"

Miranda waved for Ashley to get a move on, the Alliance and Cerberus duo taking such a life risking moment to let their differences be put aside. Ash glanced back seeing these Covenant close up for the first time, teeth and claws their primary weapons, their skin cracked and zombified into a hardened shell. Noble Six told her long ago how Grunts were easily scared off. These ones didn't look fearful in the least bit.

"You have no armor on so be careful!" Miranda's biotic concentration was as amazing as her calm demeanor in the face of the Covenant.

"What do you mean? GAH!" Ash looked down, noticing she was about half naked, pink lingerie and all, the coldness settling in as quickly as her mind deciphered it. "What the fuck! Why don't I have anything on!"

"Look I have no idea but complain later!" Ms. Lawson saw the beacon Rachel laid for them right ahead. "We're so close come on! We need to touch that beacon!"

"We can't leave without Noble Six!" Ashley stood her ground.

"You know him better than any of us, he will get himself out alright?" Miranda grabbed her wrist. "But there's no guarantee for you and I!"

Ashley frustratingly pulled it away from a combination of spite and disagreement. Her stubborn nature was returning with more consciousness but even in this desperate time the Alliance soldier slowly conceded, noticing more Jackals and Grunts appearing from the darkness. The two bolted for the door running into the light, suddenly feeling their entire bodies go light, a pulse ringing from the Leviathan bridge as they disappeared into the air.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"They're coming through right now." Cortana stated sensing the pulse's energy reading.

Chief was doing some manual repair work when he heard it, staring up at the portal everyone was expecting Six, Lawson, and Williams to reappear from. As if on cue Miranda and Ashley shot out in energy particles forming back together like a magical bit from a stage show. The two girls looked at one another in shock and fear, almost just to check if each of them came through all in one piece. The crew around them stared and quickly began to chatter accepting them in.

"Williams, Lawson! Good work!" Shepard sighed in relief, walking over to Ashley and embracing her so tightly. Friends lost finally reunited, both were in such shocking circumstances it was hard to settle in.

"Shepard?" Ashley was still trying to recover from all this, feeling like she was in some strange limbo of a dream. She felt the cold Spartan armor, but a warm cheek up against her, looking around the room, seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces. She clenched on tightly to Shepard, as she needed the support, not really questioning the Spartan armor. The warm stares from the familiar ones helped a bit as well.

"Good to see you Lieutenant." Garrus tipped his own helmet.

"Same here Ms. Williams." Tali saluted.

"Nice look." Wrex chuckled at the shapely soldier, of course needing some crudeness in his greeting. "I knew you and Noble Six are going through some problems, but you are really trying to get young boys rile up eh?"

"Noble Six…" Ashley muttered worryingly, not even concerned with letting Wrex have it for commentating on her wares. She turned to her past Commander, no small talk getting in the way of the main problem. "Shepard we have to get Noble Six! He's back there with Sovereign!"

"Ash you can't go back there. You have to wait for him here." Shepard held her, trying to calm her down. She turned to Miranda for some answers. "What the hell is he doing in there still?"

"He told me he needed to stay and figure it out and to save Rachel." Miranda slurred in a sigh. "He wouldn't listen to me."

"Typical Six…" Shepard shook her head disappointingly at the thought of the Spartan disregarding orders. He was risking himself if not the entire ship with this Lone Wolf display yet again.

"We're not going to sit here and do nothing while he's alone on that ship! I'm going to go back!" Ashley was against this, pushing Shepard away, trying to make it to the portal.

"Armor up and calm down Ash. I'm taking care of this." Shepard implored as she held the saucy Alliance gunner easily.

"Greetings Liutenant Williams..." Liara timely came in with a spare armor set, Ash just blinking at the Asari in reply.

Shepard nodded, turning to Master Chief and Jun who had their own battle wears. "If we need to Spartans, we're going in."

"Always ready commander." Jun saluted in reply, walking passed Ashley as those blue eyes kept tracked on the Asian soldier. The Alliance gunner was in disbelief of yet another Spartan in the ranks of Cerberus. This Spartan was supposed to be a dead corpse in Alliance possession no less.

"He'll make it out." Master Chief peppered in a comment towards Shepard as he prepared for deployment. John sat back and waited, thinking of what Noble Six had gotten himself into. Watching as Ashley was arguing with Shepard was distracting it though. Six liked his girls with some moxie apparently. This girl knew how to throw a tantrum and she was as intense as any Elite John's battled… at least that was what he wanted to think.

The youth of this Ashley Williams was an obvious omen to him. Six was still too young to lead.

Chief admired Miranda's calmness otherwise. She had just lost someone close and seemed to be trying to ease the situation as well.

"Look Williams we need to relax and get everything straightened out."

"I don't give a fuck about what's going on right now! Let me help Six! Are we going to do nothing?"

Chief wasn't surprised it wasn't working out too well.

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

Elites and Brutes were always the biggest problem for the UNSC.

It felt like the old days.

It hurt.

An energy blade barely misses although the pain doesn't pass as concussion rounds make their mark against Six's side. Noble Six's body broke through the ships window, landing hard on the floor with a thud as shattered glass fell all over him. Grunting, the Spartan III pulled himself up to his feet knowing he was in for a big fight. These particular zombie Elite and Brute were even stronger than before. It was like they had been ridden of the sensory of pain.

"It was a mistake staying here Spartan." The Elite roared bringing his energy blade down, Noble Six barely getting his own vibroblade up to counter the slash in a sparking slam. Pulling out a pistol he hits the Sanghelli in the chest a few times, only causing a few hisses as holes cleared their way through the zombie carcass.

"You should've died on Reach!" The Brute came in with his hammer, slamming it into Six with no mercy. The Spartan felt like an airtrain had run him over, the Spartan rocketing into another room and hitting the floor violently in a roll. He came to a dead stop with a few seconds to recover, literally a few seconds.

"Ugh, t-these guys aren't messing around." Noble Six spat out some blood, pushing himself up slowly, sizing up two of the most formable opponents he'd ever faced. On Reach0 Jun killed this Brute before. Noble Six killed this Elite before. He was finding out that it was hard to kill something twice.

"Is this all you got Spartan?" The Elite taunted with all jaws covered in a Zealot mask. "We're disappointed…"

"Don't worry ugly, I got plenty of new tricks left." Noble Six stood up strong, engaging his omni-tool loading in a tech attack that sent out a shockwave in the room, an electric cluster jolting both of the Covenant special force units, bringing them to their knees in seconds. Seemingly with the upper hand Six fired up two grenades sending them through the air, a loud explosion putting the duo of Covenant out of commission in a charred mess.

"F-finally…" The Spartan sighed in relief, preparing to move on his hunt.

"Nice tricks Noble Six." Someone was clapping in the darkness, the voice coming from the one he was hunting.

"Sovereign… it's going to end here." Noble Six began his assassin stroll towards the pale human, vibroblade out and ready for a quick and messy finish.

"So you kill me and the world continues to be doomed." Sovereign sighed as he didn't seem to care for the threats, not taking the Spartan seriously at all. "Quite selfish of you don't you think?"

"I don't care for your cryptic speech." Noble Six grabbed him and slammed him into the wall, pulling out his blade to his neck. "I don't care how you made these new cookie cutter Spartans. I don't care about of it." He pounded his fist into Sovereign's jaw, drawing blood instantly probably dislocating it. "But I do care when you mess with Ashley and Rachel."

"I did you a favor." A couple of teeth crumbled out, the laughing maniac just spitting the blood back in the Spartan's mask. "Your girl Ashley needed to loosen up. She was way too uptight."

"Son of a bitch!" Six snapped suddenly jamming the vibroblade into Sovereign's throat, pushing it in their deep, blood seeping out of the mad man's veins. There was no yell or reaction just the same violent and eerie laughter, and only this made Noble Six take a step back a bit, watching a usual kill turn into an uncanny silence from him.

"I can't die until my fate is fulfilled don't you get it?" Sovereign pulled the vibroblade out himself, staring at the blood ridden tool. "Just like how you were saved from Reach… we're one in the same don't you see? Our fates are intertwined."

Noble Six was unexpectedly shoved back by an invisible force, the Spartan skidding a few meters on his greaves as Sovereign was joined by the two Covenant servants who made a quick recovery, burn marks and all. Six stared them all down unsheathing his pistol ready to fire the trio not amused in the least bit.

"You think it was just all coincidence all this happened?" Sovereign grinned bloodily. "I found you floating on a ship from another dimension. Rachel, a human sending you here? You really think she's on your side?"

"Where is Rachel!" Noble Six demanded at the subject.

"She's where she belongs now." Sovereign made the statement like he believed it. "You see. She's not one of you. She's not one of my kind." The lights began to glow from above in crimson fade as if the former Reaper silently commanded it, suddenly Six noticing his strange surroundings. "She's the key to ending this all Spartan. She's the remnant of an age that we thought was only myth."

Noble Six gasped in horror, seeing the girl her called sister being hooked up to some sort of titanic machine that looked as organic as it did sentient. With tubes running into her like a girl on her death bed she was in a transparent coffin, a mechanical device that covered half the room entombing her in it. It curled with metallic veins that seemed to be pumping some sort of purple energy throughout the device, a luminous glow of blue covering it. Rachel was semi unconscious but was slowly awakening, red glowing symbols across her body like tainted marks of a demonic kind.

"Noble Six… y-you should have left." Rachel muttered weakly, seeming to be trapped and in tremendous pain, her breaths slow and desperate.

"What are you doing to her?" Six tried to get closer but couldn't, the Covenant warriors growling at first move.

"Nothing she wasn't willing to do." Sovereign turned to look at his mechanical creation. "She needed me to bring you here, to create this army of Spartans. She now needs me to send the Spartans where they need to go to fulfill her destiny. To fulfill yours and mine."

The room was now fully lit and the entire room was visible. Behind Sovereign a cascading window slips away, the metal veil now showing the romance of a dying planet. The Collector home world was now abandoned with no signs of life; the planet looking like it was set on a blazing inferno that caught the whole world on fire. Memories of Reach were eerily familiar and haunting for Six, this was too similar and hit close to home in too many ways imaginable.

A whisper from the corners, in dropping in the four Spartans that Sovereign called his elite group, staring down Noble Six like a bunch of rabid wolves ready for a meal as they chatted amongst themselves.

"Whoa big bro is here." Famine mocked him, chuckling as he leaned forward analyzing the real Spartan. "Finally seen the light and ready to join the cause?"

"The blue print has arrived earlier than expected." Plague scanned as well looking towards Sovereign. "What shall we do with him master?"

_Big bro? Blue print?_

Noble Six was speechless as he was now surrounded by Sovereign, the Covenant, and his gang dubbed the Four Horsemen. He pulled out another rifle to keep them at bay as they began circling around him.

"You see these wars that you won against the Covenant, and how this world deals with Reapers are nothing in the big picture." Sovereign stroked Rachel's forehead from behind the transparent glass. "You will get to see a glimpse of the big picture my fellow brother. Your Rachel is the Immortal. She is the reason why this is happening to both our worlds and the reason everything will end in both our worlds."

Noble Six began to see holographic images pop up from the computer Rachel was hooked up to, coming in like static images slowly turning clear. In red faded holograms two Earths were highlighted spinning on their axis. Across from them images were 7 ring shaped structures that rivaled the size of the planet themselves. Cortana explained what these shapes were before and how integral it was to the Covenant War.

_Halo Arrays…_

Sovereign beamed like Lucifer himself as he turned to his Horsemen.

"Scan the Collector planet for resources and we'll be heading for Earth." Sovereign then took a gander at each of these titanic rings of the Forerunners. "Our ticket to the Rapture should be arriving soon. The Halos will be here in three days… right my Lord?"

An image of Rachel… or something like Rachel appears in front of the coffin… like some sort of A.I. Construct. A holographic image of herself in dark red, four eyes glowing the darkness. It stares down at everyone else smiling with sharp teeth.

Sovereign and the rest of the Immortals bow to the image like it was their... God.

"_You should've stayed away brother Six." _The image of Rachel spoke with the uneasiness of a sinister child, staring down the Spartan. _"It's time to end this misery once and for all..."_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Alright! So the first major battles have passed... to this we will go to the recruits before the giant show down._ Whether not Noble Six is there... is the question though isn't it?_

Chief rocks and kicked ass. Ashley being sexy rocks. And the Immortals are just fun and they rock to write.

About the spec ism in Jun or Spartans in general, I honestly disagree. I think they being level headed beings... they would quickly adapt and realize that just because the Covenant were pricks doesn't necessarily mean aliens from another dimension would be the same. (Haha... typing that statement made me feel just a bit dumber. Yep.)

But I dunno, am I wrong to think that guys? With Noble Six's encouragement I think Jun and Chief would find very little sense in hating aliens or being reluctant to team with them. Heck Chief and Arbiter got along well enough. Jun being intimate with Tali might be a bit far fetched, but I wrote dimensional teleporting into my story! :) Can I get a pass?

Oh yes... and Arbiter... and more Halo elements coming in. As you notice I'm kind of writing in a deep over laying arch for the 'dimensional rift' storyline. Its not a simple plot tool, but I am making it THE plot. Hopefully it works out. If it does work out, expect something epic to come from it. The world of Halo is no longer safe my friends.


	7. The Catalyst

**A/N: **Sorry for long wait... just needed some ruse and rest.

* * *

_A Day Later…_

( Citadel Council Chambers )

~ Citadel Display Terminal Feed ~

_Asari Diplomat: And while I look out at this crowd of many species that make up our infallible Council, it's almost hard to imagine that it has been almost two years since we were saved by the Alliance from Saren and the Geth. Yes, it has been a difficult journey for many of us, but as we can see humans in such little time have earned our respect and the right to take a leading role in our forever growing bond._

**The cameras pan across the many different species that littered the crowd, Turians, Salarians, Asari, Krogan, Volus…**

_Asari: So without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the heads of the Alliance on this day where we celebrate their accomplishments, may their symbol of determination and skill inspire us all. Captain Anderson. Chairman Udina, please take the chamber platform._

_**Udina and Anderson step up from their seats, the head figures of the Alliance step up to the stage as the congregation begins to applaud.**_

_Udina: Thank you Matriarch…my fellow Council members. It honors us today to be here and to show our gratitude as well as our unending desire to assimilate with the great Council races. For so long humans have had to fight an uphill battle, we being such a young member of this wonderous conglomerate of species willing to give order and peace to this universe. Captain Anderson and I have been working hard, and will remember the kindness shown by all on the High Council._

_It seems humanity has been blessed and –_

_*static*_

_We will continue to –_

_*STATIC*_

_*DEAD FEED* _

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"What the hell is going on?" Udina covered the microphone, growling at Anderson and the Asari with his signature pompous flare.

"How am I supposed to know?" Anderson took a glance around as the Asari began to talk to her own peons. "Seems like some technical difficulties…"

Every monitor display in the Citadel had gone black, the energy in the Citadel tower shorting on and off like a plasma storm. A few light pulses later and the entire crowd stood a bit shocked as a tall hooded being stood in front of the proceedings, slowly walking towards the Council stage.

"God has blessed you humans? … At some point… yes… but_ I_ beg to differ."

"Security!" The Asari diplomat screamed only to find that her body guards had been knifed through the back, laying on the floor bleeding out till their death. "What in the world?"

The crowd began to panic some trying to break out of the conference, heading towards the elevators only to find two MJOLNIR armored warriors standing in their way. Famine and Death were both carving their slashing tools, staring at the ones so desperate to high tail it out.

"Whoa whoa! Where is everyone going?" Famine chuckled hysterically, pulling out a spiffed up Raikou pistol, firing it at an innocent Turian diplomat, sending him death tumbling to his knees. "The next person that moves? Goes with him."

From the stage Udina growled as much as he trembled, staring at this hooded menace, almost too taken back to realize what was happening. "Who are you? What is the meaning of this?"

"I am the one who attacked the Citadel and nearly brought it to its knees years ago." Sovereign unmasked his true self, glancing out to the crowd with a façade of death. "I am known by the name of Sovereign."

"This… is impossible." Anderson mumbled in disbelief, now noticing how every feed began to correct itself, all centered towards this apparent Reaper in organic form. Shepard had told him that name when describing the initial Reaper threat. During the Citadel attack, he himself had seen the giant being live and in person. But a human? A deformed human… claiming to be _that_ behemoth?

"The organic world has passed its test and is ready for its first step into true freedom and bliss." Sovereign turned to the congregation spreading his arms like some sort of screwed up priest. "God has heard your prayers my fellow brethren, and has sent me to deliver us from the mirage that is this existence!"

At this point in time C-Sec security tried to scramble the stage but heavy gunfire silence them all, leaving streaks and pools of Turian and human blood splashed along the walls. The panicked crowd had War and Plague to thank as they had their heaviest weapons draped across their shoulders, ready to send anyone to the afterlife at will. The crowd was horrified, wondering who else was going to join the death count.

"For too long have you all have gone punished without true explanation!" Sovereign stalked out towards the masses, staring terrified souls in the face. "For too long the humans of this world have had to sit with these grotesque monsters of existence. I am here to speak of the Rapture. The end of this suffering!"

"Get the fuck down old man!" Plague suddenly smashed Anderson as he tried to withdraw his pistol, sending the old war hero crashing down to the ground like a paralyzed sack. Anderson contorted, gasping as he felt his head had been split open clutching his injury. Udina watched on in horror as he stood hopeless, his partner's pain not the concern as much the realization of Anderson probably foreshadowing his own undoing. Everyone seemed to notice now more MJOLNIR armored warriors pouring in from seemingly nowhere, Spartans outnumbering the guards, the whole room at a standstill, rifles ready to fire at any given moment.

"Udina…" Sovereign beamed his sharp teeth, revolving slowly like a winding clock. "I've come here to let the humans get first warning. You are the chosen ones… the ones made from the image of God himself."

"A-are you a mad man?" Udina gasped backing away as Sovereign inched closer to him, almost stuttering to his knees as tried not to trip on the stairs.

"In two more days the gates of Heaven and Hell will open." The freak's words rang throughout the Citadel and to anyone in the galaxy hearing this feed. "We will arrive on Earth and Judgment Day will mark a moment you will all thank forever. For those willing to join in the journey you will be enlightened in the most pleasant way possible… for those that resist?"

A head suddenly smashed into the floor, severed from the body of a Collector, all there to see in its grotesque glory. It seemed as if it had been sitting out, roasting from a Sun for days, rotting and congealing into a maggoty mess. Death streaked his rotting blood covered hand over his skull mask, seeming to breathe in the fluids.

"Your journey may not be so tolerable…"

"I don't understand! What do you want from us?" Udina gasped as he was suddenly lifted without even a finger touching him.

"I want everyone to know now… the Immortals are here…" He affirmed. "We are here to end it. And we want everyone… to see it all end. Two days left until we return to glory our former glory…"

The Spartans began opening fire.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

_God bless us everyone  
We're a broken people living under loaded gun  
And it can't be outfought  
It can't be outdone  
It can't out matched  
It can't be outrun  
No…_

( Ilium | Dantius Towers`)

Stay calm.

Feel their fear.

Use it to your advantage.

A Drell Assassin like Thane Krios would live by these words for every kill, knowing that one mistake could end his career just as easily. He had been tracking Dantius for awhile now. Following her every footsteps, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. For this particular mission the death toll was quite higher than he would have wanted but with this job he knew there were going to be costs. The strangeness of the situation didn't help at all. There was group on his tail and he couldn't understand why.

For hunter he wasn't used to being the stalked one. His hunters he knew little about. All he knew was that they were good and that they were led by a resurrected legend. And the small fact that they had gotten to Nassana Dantius before he did…

_Quite impressive._

"Why did you come for me Shepard?"

"I didn't come here for you…"

The conversation was heard through the complicated vent system above, Thane clinging onto the sides with a vice like grip. His Drellian heart beat almost slowed to non-existent thump, waiting for that moment of weakness below to attack. After a few slow seconds pass he saw that flash and like a reflex within he launched into action. Two pistol fires into bodyguard's faces and then a snap of the neck later he knew his work was done as swiftly as possible. The prayers for the dead followed.

"Thane Krios?"

"… You've been following me and made quite a lot of noise Shepard."

"We've been looking for you." Shepard approached with her mask on, disconnecting it, Thane taking a look at what a reconstructed face looked like. Red eyes, and robotic features scattered throughout. It looked like Shepard had been through the Hell.

And behind him stood followers that would go with her through the fiery depths again.

"Shepard we better move fast." Liara heard some Asari commando sirens from afar, staring out the window as she warned her love.

A black armored soldier suddenly walks in, crushing a Loki Mech droids head into the wall with a heavy rifle, smashing it into a million pieces. The aggressor, unmasking herself showed a face of nothing but contempt in frustration, trying to ease some sort of tension with this violence. Blood on her armor. Blood on her mind. Thane couldn't understand this one's fury but could sense a boiling breaking point within her.

She had just lost someone she loved dearly.

A poor soul.

"The path is clear…" Ashley's dark Cerberus armor seemed like a sick joke but even she knew the times were too dire to care. She was a woman at wits end with what had happened in the last days.

"Thane I am going to make this quick…"

Shepard meant business. Mr. Krios was all ears…

_And when I close my eyes tonight  
To symphonies of blinding light  
God bless us everyone!  
We're a broken people living under loaded gun!_

_~ o `~ o ~ o ~_

( Purgatory | Landing Deck )

Gunfire had broken out in a prison that was supposed to be as secure as it gets. Mechs were running haywire. Prisoners of the worst kinds were running loose like toddlers in a playpen. For Tali and Garrus, they were on the tail of their own target. The target that Shepard sent them to get.

Subject Zero was in their grasp.

"This human has some spunk to her." Garrus reminded himself as he charged forward in a furious sprint, seeing their target literally rip apart anyone that got in her path without as much touching someone.

"We must be careful…" Tali sighed. "Even cornered I am not sure what we're going to do!"

Jack had that reaction from people. A bald, sexy, and relentless badgirl with the sickest biotics in the universe merited the fear. Knowing she had one chance at escape she was making it count, hitting the exit deck with probably the most collateral damage to time ratio in existence. Her trail of death and destruction was the reason Garrus and Tali were even here in the first place.

"Stop right there Jack!" Garrus pulled his rifle up, knowing they had her cornered. "We came here to talk!"

"What the fuck are a bunch of aliens doing working for Cerberus?" Jack turned back, eyes glowing purple from a biotic prep.

"We don't work for Cerberus!" Tali scowled at the thought.

"Whatever Quarian! You think I'm a dense ditz? I saw you on Cerberus ships you lying sack of shit!"

"We can explain later but we need to get to safety now!" Garrus pleaded, knowing that he and Tali were about to get a taste of some heavy biotic assaults.

"In your fucking dreams…" Jack was about to give out a blast until she felt a screeching pain smash against her thigh. "AARGH!"

"If I'm going to die… your little package is going to too!" Warden Kuril, the Turian who ran this prison was a bloody mess, seemingly doing battle with someone that far outclassed him. His armor was shredded, the Turian's face mutilated, blood dripping from every corner.

"Hey what are you doing!" Garrus tried to run over to block Jack from the oncoming fire, knowing he wasn't going to make it.

Jack gasped as she saw him point a blaster at her for one final shot.

BOOM!

Jack flinched but panted deeply, leaning back against the wall badly injured. The blood began to cover her heavy pants, she watching as Warden Kuril, the bastard that tortured her on this ship fall to his knees, a hole right through his Turian noggin. From behind quite a distance away was an armored beast that was known for headshots. Jun-A266 doesn't miss… especially when it counts.

"Nice of you to show up." Tali mentioned with a slight sting, stepping over towards Jack as Garrus did.

"Sorry… he ran away. Was it something I said?" Jun-A266 stepped over Warden Kruil's corpse as he joined his teammates. Jack was hurting bad but still had that fight in her it seems.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

"You'd rather sit here and die?" Garrus blinked.

"What difference does it make? Should I let Cerberus do whatever the Hell they want with me again?"

"They won't because we hate them too!" Tali defended.

"They won't do a thing." Jun-A266 answered back through his filtered voice. "I'll make sure of it."

"How the hell can I trust you?"

"… I just spiked someone through the head with one shot and saved your foul mouthed ass." Jun knelt down, handing her a medi-gel. "I'd appreciate it if you could just show me a little favor by letting us save you. Deal…?"

Jack glanced at the MJOLNIR armor that many of people saw back on Reach as a sign of hope. She turned to a Turian and Quarian who seemed to hate Cerberus as much as she did. She grimaced, staring at Jun-A266 through gritted teeth.

"Patch me up… and you got a deal…"

_Like memories in cold decay  
Transmissions echoing away  
Far from the world of you and I!  
Where oceans bleed into the sky!_

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

( Ilium | Spaceport )

Miranda couldn't think of anything else at the moment but hatred and contempt. Her sister was family but her old best friend was all she had left outside that. Now? She was in danger of losing both because of the stupidity of her so-called _friend's _horrible judgment. Her heart pounded as the blaster was on Niket, trigger shaking, her and Jacob having pistols out and ready to go. Jacob wanted to say something to stop this tension be he knew this was Miranda's fight. This was Miranda's moment.

"Niket how could you…" Miranda was so furious.

"Miri… you have to understand! Your sister didn't have a choice in this! She deserves the right life!"

"I don't want to hear it anymore!" Miranda was ready to pull that trigger. "You sold me out. You sold out my own sister."

"Miri.. p-please!"

Suddenly the whole area turned their heads as they heard scream from an Eclipse soldier that smashed into the ground dead on impact. Enyala, the Asari whose mission it was to extract Miranda's sister Oriana, growled as she was about to take out Niket herself. The shock sent her backing up, seeing another one of her troops disposed of.

"It's that Spartan…" Enyala answered with a hiss, pointing at the doorway, ready to shred that green bastard to dust.

"I think you need a new entourage." A voice came from behind as suddenly two strong jade arms came around Enyala's neck, crushing it, sending her collapsing to the floor in an instant death. Her two Asari escorts were met with the same doom as an out of stealth Spartan finished them off with rifle shots to the head before they could even react.

"Damn…" Jacob laughed. "That never gets old to see."

"_Chief is in the house…" _Cortana celebrated inside John's suit.

"Don't do anything you'll regret Miranda." Master Chief walked over them both, standing between. "If you two are friends like you said-"

"He's not my friend!" Miranda wanted to shove Chief away and pop that treacherous bastard in the head.

"He's the same guy who you told me saved you…" Chief's cold stare was all she could glare at now. "Why don't you listen instead of fuming… it'll help."

Miranda wanted to scream but she gripped her gun hesitantly, slowly lowering it at the request of someone she respected on the battle field. John-117 was so calm all the time it was contagious. Niket breathed a sigh of relief as he held his heart, feeling like he was two steps away from a heart attack.

"Miri… I did this because I thought it was right…"

"You thought wrong!" Miranda tossed her gun down in frustration, holding her head. "I worked so hard to get Oriana a life of freedom… and you almost screwed it all up! She's all I have left Niket! Don't you get it?"

Niket sighed holding his arms. "I… honestly thought you did this to spite your father… I had no idea…"

"Thanks for your faith in me." Miranda growled, crossing her arms.

"So what do we do with this guy?" Jacob still had him at gun point. "He could still rat out where your sister is."

Miranda glared at Niket, seeing weakness and regret in his eyes. She then turned to Chief who stood there like a stone, waiting for her answer. John knew what the right thing was to do and needed not to say word to Miranda.

"Get the fuck out of here Niket…" Miranda walked away. "If I find out you squeal where my sister is, I will hunt you down myself."

"I'm sorry Miri… I w-won't say a word…" Niket sighed deeply walking past the Spartan that probably just saved his life. "Thank you… for your mercy sir."

"Thank Miranda for stopping you from making a big mistake." Master Chief turned away like it was nothing, walking off into the elevator area. Jacob smirked knowing it was an honor working beside someone like this. Someone that can get Miranda to listen was an amazing accomplishment. An amazing occurrence.

Niket just watched as they began riding up the elevator, thinking of what had happened.

On the elevator there was a silence that Chief only seemed comfortable with, staring at the floors going by. Miranda was still tapping her foot feeling so mentally exhausted at the mission she had just accomplished. She owed the man standing to her left. They had recruited their Asari Samara so fast with his help, not to mention his dealings with the entire Eclipse squad let Miranda get to Niket fast enough to stop him.

"Thank you…" Miranda barely muttered.

"You're welcome." Master Chief answered back sternly.

"… I don't know what I would have done knowing my father would control baby sis." Miranda breathed easy. "I don't think Niket will be doing this ever again. Thank you… for stopping me."

"In the heat of the moment keep your head on you." John replied with a shrug. "You don't? You do something regret… or you die."

"Yes… Chief… got you." Miranda smiled as they were on their way to make sure her sister was okay. She felt like she owed him her life. John of course would have none of the appreciation. It was just a waste of time…

Chief hits his communicator and begins to differ information.

_Master Chief: This is Blue Team to Cerberus command. Target Samara is on Normandy. We're heading back soon after checking up on our rescue target Oriana. Status report?_

_Saren: Gray team … Almost extracting the Krogan. not exactly the Krogan we wanted but that's all it looks like we will get. Can someone please tell this Salarian to shut his blabbering mouth? Ever since we've gotten to his old student he's been mumbling non-stop. Never stick me with the Krogan and Salarian again!_

_Jun-A266: Hah! Green Team hears you… Subject Zero is in our custody, damaged goods but nothing too bad. We'll be there shortly._

_Shepard: Red team, our Drell is on board as well. Everyone be safe alright?_

_All: Over and out! _

_God save us everyone  
Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns?  
For the sins of our hand  
The sins of our tongue  
The sins of our father  
The sins of our young_

_No!_

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

( Leviathan | Cell Quarters )

Noble Six could barely feel himself, numbness across his entire body as he awoke to complete silence. He notices that he lay in a cell, cold steel floors with surroundings that lit up like the plasma cell of a rifle, covering all corners of the room as if it would singe him the minute he touched those barriers. He couldn't remember a thing that happened or did he remember how long had he been out. He vaguely recalled a battle he couldn't win and all he knew right now was that he felt cold. He was as bare as a soldier was without his armor.

Totally vulnerable.

"Finally you wake up sleepy head."

"Ungh what the hell happened…" Noble Six groaned as he stood shakily, only to take a few steps back as the Covenant Elite and Brute were standing guard at his cell. They stood there though without much motion or life… standing their like empty husks. He spun around then wondering where that voice came from, noting now a small terminal on his left with a vivid reflection of Rachel.

"Rachel?" Noble Six leaned over. "W-what's going on? Sovereign captured me?"

"I captured you… and I am not Rachel… don't insult me."

Six's puzzled face would only start to get warmed up. "T-then who the heck are you?"

"I am her 'other'… the other half of what makes her special." The red image hissed in simple answer yet confusion. "You see we're not like you. We're not like anything in your world… or this one. Our bodies are nothing but a shell…"

"You're not human, it's obvious now." Noble Six looked outside, seeing that large contraption that Rachel's unconscious body was in, those huge Halos still spinning in 3D digitized form. "You're the one that can cross both worlds. What the hell are you?"

"… Do you believe in Angels and Demons little boy?" The girl seemed to mock him.

"… Maybe when I was five." Noble Six growled back.

"Well you better start believing in them." Rachel's holographic doppelganger smiled. "We are the true Immortals in the world. I am one that transcends this universe. I have many names. An Angel is a name. A Demon is a name. An Immortal is a name… some even call us… Precursors…"

"Precursors…?"

"You see these Halos?" The dark entity held in her hand smaller rings that spun, almost speaking to herself more so than her captive. "They were the key to victory for human kind in your world. Old technology that the Forerunners used to rid the world of themselves. They are a foolish bunch. We give them so many gifts and they decided that was the best course of action. They made the same mistake millions of others made."

"You're talking nonsense."

The figure didn't even reply to that. "… Before your Spartan kind we've gone through so many different variables. So many different times to create the ultimate bodies." The V.I. leaned over her terminal like Cortana almost. "For the first time combining two different worlds have created the perfection we so desire. Our time to take back what is ours is at hand."

"What do you want from us?"

"We have lived an eternity locked between a battle of existence you will never understand." The pseudo little girl suddenly jumped out, landing on Noble Six's shoulder. "In this world we are the Gods… but where we must take back we are nothing but _his _servants. We need your bodies to battle. We've searched countless universes and realities."

"Bodies… you're farming us?"

"Your worlds are nothing but a fake… nothing but a ruse." The image smiles so evilly. "God spited us all. He gave up on us. His first children to turn to you all… you organics. Death is part of the equation of 'life'. We his first creations weren't good enough anymore. He moved on."

"You're claiming to be… true Immortals?"

"Locked in this form yes. Digital renditions stuck in what you beings called the afterlife. Rachel as you know… is a special one, able to walk the mortal world." The dark being sat snug with herself on his head, stroking it as if she could touch him. "The minute we stole you from that Planet Reach the ball had been spun. My plan was in motion. A plan to find out if combining two of our greatest assets would be strong enough to end our misery. I was correct…"

"This army of Spartans you created…"

"They are the army to take back what's rightfully ours. Heaven and Hell won't hold us any longer. These worlds will be ours to take. Ours to be done. God no longer controls us! … He tries to stop us by setting rules. Don't you understand?"

_Flood…_

"_W_henever organic life grows too strong to challenge God a _Flood_ appears…"

_Reapers…_

"Whenever organic life begins to play God's role for him… _Reapers _will come to decimate the world to restart."

"… You make it sound like God is just some crazy logistics program? Like all that stuff is real?" Noble Six muttered in a blink. "You're telling me if we didn't survive the Flood or the oncoming Reaper onslaught this would all just start over again? Either way we're screwed?"

"Yes, and I came here to shatter that cycle when I retrieved you from your impending death! No more will we sit back and watch this cycle continue. You've given us all we need. An army for my fellow demons to control. We will take back… what's ours… all thanks to your body. You will join our victory!"

"This… this is crazy! What's going to happen to this world?"

"… The gates of Heaven and Hell will open and a war that will ravage existence to nothing will take place." Rachel's form laughed at the sadistic thought. "And we… the_ Immortals_… will have surpassed our maker, something he feared you all would do. We have been banished long enough from paradise!"

"The precursors. Cortana told me about hints of this…" Noble Six mumbled holding his head as he tried to just make sense with what they were dealing with. "W-who are you then? If Rachel is not your name…"

"… My name huh?"

Noble Six heard it echo into his mind like old memories forgotten through technology.

_Beelzebub_

_Satan_

_Devil…_

"… Just call me Lucifer…"

_Lift me up…  
Let me go…_

_We will burn inside the fires of a Thousand Suns…_


	8. Frak The Gods

**A/N: **About the religious overtones. There was a reason I named the story Resurrection. And it is definitely influenced by Christian theology. For those who are jaded. I knew one person said they were atheist... it's not like I'm making Chief and Shepard into Jesus freaks. The only ones speaking religions are either the psycho Sovereign himself... or those directly affiliated with the Immortals. This isn't Sunday church.

Nothing scares me more than religious fundamentalism... especially with its by those w/ the ability to destroy the world. So when I designed this new enemy, I wanted it to feel like a satanic cult... but backwards almost.

For those who love it and are having fun with it like me. Hang on for the ride because after more expose... which is what this chapter is about. You'll understand why the scope of it goes into such a supernatural... type realm.

For those that stuck around and are still supporting... thanks guys. It makes me feel so good!

* * *

In the isolation of an apartment complex, the brashness and ghastly world of Omega is subdued. In this apartment in particular there was nothing but the finest décor, the finest alcohol, and the finest furnishings, all belonging to the 'finest' Asari walking this space station. Moronith, a legend amongst her people now, was an unspeakable behemoth in a beautiful package. How many had been tricked by her luring to be singed into empty husks of human beings? One more was going to be added. Today she spotted her soon to be final victim on Omega. This one was special. She had never met someone like this before.

"You're so quiet…" Moronith had her sparkling wine, taking a seat next to her tall target.

"You didn't ask anything." He droned back as usual.

"Well… what do you think of me? Do you think I'm pretty?" Moronith laughed as she swore she should've batted her eyes.

"I think you're pretty well off for someone with no official job description." The green masked warrior took a peak around.

"_Yeah smooth… And I wondered why you don't get many dates…"_

"Playing hard to get huh?" Moronith's heart pounded as the beast inside her yearned for someone who showed such strength against her passes. "Throwing that Krogan across the entire club, and woo'ing me to bring you up to my room without even letting me know your name. You, human are quite impressive."

"Thank you. Now what exactly did you want to bring me up here for again?"

Suddenly Moronith could not hold on any longer, her primal instincts wanting this soldier so bad, leaping on the armored GI. "Take off your suit… tell me your name… let me make you… feel better…" Her eyes were swirling black as night as she stared into a golden visor. She smiled as soon her victim would fall into a trance, letting her suck his soul dry. This time apparently wasn't going according to her plan though as the gloved green and black hand grasped around the Ardat Yakshi's neck and firmly grasping her to a bare breath.

"Just call me Master Chief…" John held her at a distance as Cortana smiled from his shoulder.

"You Asari, have some really corny come on lines…" Cortana had both hands on her chin in amazement as Moronith was shaking angrily. "Aw what's wrong? Three's a crowd?"

"Then you're going to really hate four!"

Moronith turned seeing an Asari blaring with energy knowing it could only be one person. "M-mother!"

"Chief I think we better let these family members deal with their issues…"

"Agreed…"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

( Elsewhere | Omega )

"KOLYAT!"

He heard his name yelled out.

As his cover was blown he fired out of reaction, taking out a Krogan body guard but his target was getting away. Kolyat had no idea who yelled his name. All he saw a camouflaged blur from the tower above him, screaming out as a sniper rifle took out the other body guard to the left. He showed instincts of a Drell assassin though, being a relentless pursuer, getting up and taking off after his target _Talid._

He showed flashes of his father, getting behind and bringing the bastard to his knees. It was time to start a career he thought we wanted.

"Hey kid! Drop the gun!"

The one who yelled his name was now standing right in front of him, rifle out and pointed.

"Who the hell are you?" Kolyat pressed gun against Talid's head.

"H-hey whoever you are! Please stop this guy!" Talid growled.

"This can get really messy so I suggest we end this kid." The Spartan's eyes were scanning for any type of opening.

"Kolyat…" A voice he hadn't heard in ages prefaced a face that he really didn't want to see.

"T-this is a joke… W-what you? Now you show up?"

A few C-Sec officers step in all guns blazed, yelling out warnings that were falling on deaf ears as far as Koylat was concerned. "Shut up! He's coming with me!"

"There are snipers waiting outside…" Thane gave warning.

"I don't need your help-"

Suddenly in a frame of a second a blast shattered Kolyat's weapon, making him stagger back, Jun-A266, the Spartan on cal lunging forward and twisting Talid's arm into a wrench hold to the ground. Kolyat looked up as C-Sec officers were about to take him into custody.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Kid your dad is dying! Hear him out!" Jun looked down, picking up Talid. "My apologize I just had to go through protocol…"

Talid was grimacing feeling the wind knocked out of him, getting up and stumbling his way out the door. Kolyat growled crossing his arms turning away defiantly. "So he wants my sorry to feel some peace before he dies?"

"You got a lot of nerve kid." Jun got in front of him, staring him down as a Spartan's figure was always imposing. "I never got to say bye to my parents. Trust me that's something that you don't want to accomplish too. So your daddy screwed up. Just hear him out… don't be a douchebag."

Kolyat blinked a few times with those reptilian eyes as Jun wasn't exactly a poet. Even so the words of wisdom seemed to work as he turned to meet his father. Thane gave a slight smirk towards the Spartan as he replied with a simple nod, letting these two bare the burden of working it out. Jun walked off as the C-sec officers thanked him, Tali waiting at the doorway clapping almost mockingly.

"Douchebag?" Tali shook her head. "Keelah, you have a way with words Jun."

"As Chief always says, whatever gets the job done." Jun began to walk out, shaking off his rifle and placing it on his back.

"Yes, you, Six, and Chief certainly make up for not being as eloquent as Shepard in many ways." Tali smiled, thinking of how this group won back her name to her people just hours ago. "I owe you all so much. You gave me my name back. You saved my father's name as well."

"Anything for parents…" Jun nodded as he glanced over. "Your people are an amazing group. Adapting to life outside like that. That has to be one of the highlights of my life seeing your… flotilla is that term correct?"

"Yes… correct… so would you call meeting me for the first time a highlight then?"

"Pardon me?"

"I-I m-mean… meeting a Quarian for the first time!"

"Oh… I… of course…" Jun blinked as they both started to brokenly laugh. Tali seemed to reflect on a memory for a few seconds.

"Noble Six is still out there… b-by the way… I know it. He'll never give up."

"I have a feeling too…"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

( Leviathan )

"Haha! Did you see those Citadel pussies hit the floor?"

Famine screamed out in sadistic joy, sliding into the commanding dock as the Horsemen flooded into the deck. Noble Six opened one eye to peak over to the dastardly quartet of destruction, closing his eyes calmly as he was laying down on the floor in a completely relaxed way.

"They were child's play nothing to get excited about…" War bellowed, stepping over to a weapon's depot.

"But we kicked their ass…" Famine shook his head in disbelief. "Doesn't anyone want to party?"

"Why don't you just shut up and prepare Earth?" Plague spat annoyed as he was repairing his armor. Death of course didn't seem to be in the conversation floating alongside the glass, staring out to the stars in space.

"Great just great… I'm the only one in this sad bunch with idea of fun." Famine scowled. "I have Mr. Stick Up His Ass." He pointed at Plague. "Mr. Takes Life a little Too Seriously." He grimaced at War. "And…. And I don't even know what the fuck this guy is…" He sighed at Death. "You know what? Why don't we call ourselves the Bore Horsemen? Cause ya'll suck!"

"I wouldn't worry about that too much…" Famine heard Noble Six mutter out from the cell.

"Wow... was that our big brother talking to us finally?" Famine curiously peaked over, strolling to the cell door. "What do you mean don't worry about that too much?"

"About your good time being ruined…" Noble Six glanced over annoyed. "I have a feeling your party is about to end pretty soon."

"What are you talking about? Didn't we just kick your ass like a couple days ago?"

"You're clueless…" Six laughed to himself. "Just like your other three friends over there."

"What is this one babbling about now?" Plague came over, scowling. "You talk very tough for someone without armor that we could split in half if we wanted to do so."

"Really?" Noble Six sat up, jumping up to his legs with little support. "Why didn't you kill us then huh?"

War and Death walked over as well, gathered up and staring as Famine and Plague peaked at one another.

"How come the biggest threats to your plan are still alive and well when you had us as good as dead?" Noble Six crossed his arms, looking around. "Did your master not give you permission to kill me? To kill Shepard? … Hmm… maybe he doesn't think you guys can kill us."

"Hah! Are you kidding? That'll be like eating breakfast!" Famine defended himself.

"Your point is?" Plague was growing impatient.

"Oh you guys are big and tough, 'Spartans', right? Of course you guys can kill us." Six began to chuckle. "But maybe, your master doesn't want us to be killed. Maybe your master knows that out there are four REAL Spartans that are much more capable of getting things done than this rag tag wanna be imitation boy band group you four are."

"H-hey what did you call us?"

"Your master plan has a few flaws in it and I think your master is about to do whatever it takes to right the ship. I see it happening now." Six looked around. "His glorious Four Horsemen, only as useful to him until he finds something superior. That's… how a machine thinks. That's how a Reaper like Sovereign thinks."

Plague, War, and Famine took a peak at one another, chuckling, turning back at Six.

"You're trying to frighten us little one?" War crunched his knuckles.

"I'm just saying your master chose the wrong Spartan as the blue print to this Spartan army…" Six pointed at War. "You know which Spartan should've been copied… right?"

War stared a hole through Six as he remembered his encounter with the Master Chief, one that he lost and would have been destroyed if he hadn't escaped. The other three were not amused with Six's word play and this paranoia setting in was making already lunatic soldiers on even more edge.

"Besides, you guys are Spartan Lites, artificially created but with none of the human passion and desire to push it to the limits…"

"You fool… we hung from crosses until our bodies transcended... we suffered as much as any to become what we become!" Plague reassured.

"That's nice and fancy isn't it?" Noble Six shrugged. "You are walking into battle, into a war of that has been lasting for millennia with a bunch of cookie cutter Spartans? A bunch of mindless armored thugs? And you four? You are the best of a bunch of cookie cutter Spartans. None of this pain or misery has any substance. Somebody came and tortured you to power in a few days, your memories and passion and knowledge of the Spartan way are fake and useless because they're not yours…"

"Did you not see what we did to the Collector World?" Plague laughed.

"This army Sovereign created is nothing compared to one that was bred and trained by the UNSC. Whatever they have planned will ultimately fail because this is a flawed army with the best Spartans leading the pack. You guys have power… no heart."

"Are you done lecturing now?" Famine jeered. "I'm bored with you…"

"I'm just giving you fair warning. Don't be surprised if you find yourself without a master soon as he reaches out to something closer to the source. If I was leading an army to face something as threatening as Mr. "Satan" says he is… I would pick the best of the best…" Six began playing balance beam with his hand. "Let's see… copies… or the real deal… copies? … Or the real deal… sounds tough to me… Oh… why didn't he order you to kill any of us again?"

The Four Horsemen grumbled, suddenly turning to one another… for the first time questioning their spot in this. Six smirked to himself. That's exactly what he wanted.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Down beneath the Normandy, past where Jack sat, past where Tali usually monitored, and beside the cargo bay where Grunt was being tutored in the Krogan way by Wrex, a lone soldier sat in the darkest corner. It was the perfect place to think if not stew. Only the sounds of the engine during its energy cycles would ring, Ashley Williams being able to sit with her boiling thoughts, not exactly the best situation for her.

"Williams?"

"Commander…"

"The whole crew for the most part has gotten their last requests in… are you sure you have nothing to square away?"

"I told you no Commander…" Ashley sat still in the cold reply, not even turning to account for her old friend's appearance.

Shepard sighed walking in, closing their distance, Ashley feeling her Commander to her back. "Look I know you're upset about Noble Six. We all are."

"You're not upset like I am." Ashley shook her head. "We don't need to talk about it."

"I know I sound crazy… but I know he's alright…" Shepard stood beside Ashley, looking out to the galaxy. It was so peaceful as each star seemed to glimmer. Nothing like what was happening to Chief Gunnery Williams beneath her façade.

"… I let that monster take advantage of me…" Ashley closed her eyes. "I let Noble Six take the fall for me…" She growled. "And I want to make that son of a bitch pay in the slowest most painful way possible… that's all I want."

"You can't live and go into this mission like that Ash… I need you calm and thinking straight."

"Then you might as well leave me back, because when I see Sovereign again I'm coming back with his head on a stake…" Ashley turned to her Commander with a stare she'd probably never had as intense. "He took everything from me! And he ain't fucking getting away with that!"

Shepard sighed as she felt all the fury Ashley had pent up inside show itself for that moment, the gunnery even letting a tear flow out as she just turned upset and refusing to show weakness. The Commander was full of sympathy. A woman's body was her own, free to be used whenever she wished, a basic woman's right. Ashley's body was taken advantage of by a 'man' who took away her love as well… the rage couldn't be understood. It couldn't be pacified.

"Ashley I know you're pissed off. We're gonna get them back for what they did. I just need you to be strong okay? I need this anger from you but it has to be controlled. I have all the faith in the world in you…"

"T-thanks Commander…" Ashley grimaced as she clutched onto her rifle, still not turning to her. "Don't worry about me… I'll be fine. Make sure everyone else is ready to go… Y-you got enough on your plate as it is…"

"You mean with all the recruits?"

"With two Spartans, new recruits, old recruits… oh… Cerberus, the whole world, and Sovereign gunning for you? And let's not forget… Saren being the trustworthy friend he can shoot us in the back at any given moment."

"… I think Saren has proven himself to me already. Noble Six trusted him… I think we need to give him that benefit of the doubt."

"No… you … need to give him that… Me and the old team give him nothing Shepard." Ashley scowled. "The Spartans, Garrus, Liara, Tali, Wrex, Joker… I trust you and them only… everyone else? Can go fuck themselves."

"Fair… enough…"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Shepard entered the command deck as Liara greeted her with a curious face, wondering how her meeting with Ashley went. A lukewarm reaction and Liara frowned to herself. Chief was leaning against the railway, noticing Shepard with a mutual nod, watching Cortana go through the mission database. Miranda was taking notes, apparently still being an eye for her boss, the Illusive Man quite the busy entity with all this new information leaking in.

They had just recruited and completed everyone's final wish, a gesture from Shepard to let each one of his members on this new suicide run get the most important thing in their life squared away. The Commander turned to Chief as she looked out towards the Normandy readings.

"… I think we're ready to see what Rachel wanted us to do next. Is Cortana ready?"

"I can ask…" Chief began prying.

"Huh, it almost feels insane following orders from Rachel in this situation." Miranda mumbled. "But I know we have no choice."

"_Well, Rachel told me to open this when we were ready… it's as always your call Commander." _Cortana had some sort of digital beacon of light in her hand, staring at Shepard as to get the okay.

"I believe now is the time to open it." Liara finally opened her mouth, deep and away in her own thoughts. "I believe we are ready for whatever happens now."

"Alright then everyone I don't know what's going to happen, so Joker put everyone on armor alert!" Shepard commanded.

"_Yes ma'am! Getting' everyone geared up and ready to kick some butt."_

"Alright Cortana please be careful…" Shepard pleaded.

"Ask Chief… that's all I ever am." Cortana winked.

"No comment…" Master Chief replied.

In a brilliant flashing array Cortana stepped into the Navigation deck, suddenly the entire map phasing as the blue entity began to short circuit. She began shivering as a sonic pulse began to engulf her.

"Cortana!" Chief reached out. "What's happening to her?"

"I-I don't know…" Shepard watched in amazement as the entire map began to grow an angelic white, literally zooming out almost to an infinite view of some universe or some place. Millions of spheres and millions of galaxies were popping up, looking to scramble the entire system itself. Without warning Cortana reappeared having a different appearance, glowing in a white glow, having Rachel's face…

"_Greetings… Commander… Master Chief… the chosen saviors of the loyalist side…"_

"R-rachel is that you?"

"_I am one part of the one you know as Rachel's memories… temporarily synched with Cortana's mind… I will not hurt her. Don't you worry Master Chief."_

Chief nodded dumbly and silently as the crew began to circle around this amazing holographic world. A world where seemingly many variations of life were being shown all at the same time.

"_I apologize for the suddenness of your friend Rachel's departure but your friends' safety was the most important when we figured other forces were at work. Sovereign has come under control of another force just as I gathered you all together."_

"Whoa, before we start…" The Commander crossed her arms. "What are you?"

"_I am known as one of the earliest forms of existence. Our creator made my kind before any organisms such as your selves existed. We lived very similar to your friend Cortana if any comparison would be had."_

"Like an A.I.? Without bodies?"

"_Affirmative. We are forever adaptive information, placed in a paradise that our creator made for us. For countless and almost infinite amount of time have we existed, and for the most part existed quite well. That is until our creator left us."_

"So… how are you here? Why are you here?"

"_We learned that our creator left paradise to create more worlds. Physical worlds… filled with organic life. Rules were set in place so the miracle of life can take place and no one understood why. He's made many worlds ever since… countless to name with two similar consistencies. Firstly, all worlds will have rules. Secondly, all worlds will have his most glorious creation… humanity as the center piece."_

"Humans… that explains why there are two earths and what not…" Shepard mumbled, as she stared on the screen. "Or in this case many earths…"

"_When our creator went on this endeavor, many of us left behind were confused. We wondered why we were not good enough to be the concentration of our creator's efforts. Some of us rebelled… started wreaking havoc on paradise… when our creator learned of this… some of us were banished… a war began. Lucifier led the separatists… I led the loyalists."_

"… Sounds like the war between God and Satan… in Christian literature?"

"_The stories you here are nothing but variations of a past being played over and over through various worlds because we were the first. My peers call themselves Angels and Demons, use the words Heaven and Hell and God… so that the organisms could relate and understand. Lucifier's real name is not coherent in your current language… Our creator's name… cannot be spoken. No Religion has captured us correctly… we just chose one that you would understand."_

"But why are you here? You still haven't answered that yet!"

"_The war left paradise ravaged and somewhat still rages on today. But as our creator concentrated more on new worlds the alpha creations… us… grew stronger and became somewhat gods ourselves as our knowledge expanded. Soon both loyalists and separatists agreed in principal that they no longer wanted to live confined to paradise and wished to expand beyond our God's wish. We made a pact… and began to uncover a horrible truth."_

"_Our creator it seems has been gone without a trace, but evidence of his worry of our abilities to breech his barriers were left everywhere. Lucifer and I after long enough time learned that our creator is very much physical unlike ourselves. We wanted to be free, no matter the cost like our creator. After a period of knowledge gathering, Lucifer and I used our influence to reach the one you know as body of Rachel… an Azarathean… a world Lucifier and I were able to tap into. We found a way to both find a home inside the psyche of this girl and resided in her… turning her into our Catalyst, ready to open the gates of Paradise whenever it seems fit."_

"Y-you guys turned on your maker and now what do you want with us?"

"_We haven't heard from our creator in so long, but the rules are still set, meaning while he may be dead? The machine that locks us and your existences still exist! Because of his fear for his first creations and our abilities to learn and to almost become Gods ourselves… he set rules in place. The physical world, his prized creation has the ability to be his downfall and he knew this. The cycle of fear. This cycle of life that he has created for you all is nothing but an illusion. You all fight for your lives believing that victory can be attained but it's a false hope… God's rules will never let life live beyond a certain amount of progress… It has happened many times. For your world Shepard? Our creator made what you know as the Reapers… built to destroy potential bodies that the first creations could use if they got too powerful… in Master Chief's world… the Flood were created for the same purpose…"_

"But Master Chief defeated the Flood…"

"_Then something else would've come to destroy the world. This is a formula that will not be defeated unless you attack the source." _Rachel's hologram looked at all of them. _"Realize this. Lucifier and I differ in the way we want to accomplish our goal but our goal is the same. To open up paradise, break all barriers to all worlds, find the source of God's machine and to end this cycle. Life should not operate such as this and should be left to freely grow until it destroys itself… That is true freedom… now we are all slaves to this system…"_

"This universe jumping…" Master Chief stepped in, eyeing the little A.I. "Why did you do this? Why did you send me here along with the other Spartans?"

"_The key to staring this happened when Lucifer and I learned to bend the rules our creator set for these worlds. We learned to bend time and reality itself by living amongst it for countless generations. By doing this… we were able to set into motion events that would speed up organic technological evolution so quickly that the systematic rules could not react quickly enough. We took the best soldiers in any variation of life… Spartans… and combined it with Shepard's world… where technology is at its height."_

"That's why Noble Six bounced into our laps…" Shepard blinked.

"And that's why… Sovereign is a part of this as well?" Liara asked.

"_Sovereign and these new Spartans are Lucifer's plan. Not mine. The loyalists feel that the best way to free ourselves and organic life is to work together. The separatists mainly want bodies to take over. They want weapons to lead the war against their old creator. Master Chief… Shepard… you two are the reason why this plan exists. Through Rachel's eyes I had the privilege to see the most evil and the most amazing of human attributes… you two represent your kind to the fullest."_

"Rachel, you're expecting us… to lead a victory over someone who created the world?" Shepard had confident but even she couldn't understand the logistics of this.

"_As far as we know our creator has disappeared long ago but the machine that you all are forced to live by still exists. It needs to be destroyed so that life can live the way it was meant to live. The destruction of all barriers is inevitable. It is now how we decide to combat this new war that is the question. Please Shepard. Master Chief. You two are the only hope and the real solution, not Lucifer's plan. I brought you two together because I know neither of you can do it alone. You will both have to lead universes in the fight that will forever determine how existence will continue… it will either thrive… or disappear into oblivion… but no longer will it exist the way it has been…"_

"Y-you're asking us to step into a war… of a galactic magnitude... damn more like a cross galactic magnitude!" Shepard growled. "H-how are you going to break the barriers to all the worlds? To your creator's world?"

"_The organic world is an amazing place where Lucifer and I notice that you are close to becoming Gods yourselves. The Forerunners and those that came before were influenced by us to build key structures that not only could save the universe from the Flood but also are keys to our plan…"_

Halo Arrays began to pop up on the screen as the Rachel A.I. began to draw them in.

"Halo…" Chief was staring at old friends. "Those are mass killers… weapons…"

"_Potentially yes they are weapons… but they are more than weapons Master Chief… they are keys…" _Rachel walked over towards them, suddenly the map zooming all the way towards Earth. _"Rapture will occur here… the common place that binds every universe… every cosmic barrier is here… There is always an Earth in the Solar System… it is here that if enough energy is focused and produced it will rip the barriers all in half, causing the universes to restructure the way it was before... meaning worlds will combine… meaning our world as well… To open this we will need a release of energy… a powerful energy…"_

"Powerful like 7 Halo arrays going off at once…" Chief scowled.

"_Yes… a non-lethal charge is being planned by Lucifer right now…"_

"So basically you want to open up the door and send this whole universe into a war it has no business in." Chief crossed his arms.

"_This is your business! If this doesn't occur, your kind is doomed again to start with as God's machine continues to program an enemy willing and capable to take you down. Only together… now…. That I've given you this opportunity can you attack it. I am opening the door yes. But I am giving you the tools to stop this madness… once and… for all… It won't be easy but it is a necessary risk."_

"Then what do we do?" Shepard asked. "Sovereign seems to be doing the work for us then."

"_No Shepard. Lucifer and Sovereign must be stopped. Their idea of attack is a flawed and worthless plan. Their idea to suck Earth of life, and to create these Spartans is not the way to go about it. You must stop them before they ruin any unity that your worlds must have to stand a chance. They will attack Earth now… at that point in time you must board Sovereign's ship and end his existence as Rapture occurs. They are a threat to your success."_

"I guess… we d-do… that then…" Shepard turned to everyone else.

"Commander… this is incredible b-but… I don't even know where… to start…" Miranda was mouth wide open, looking over to see Shepard in a similar spot.

"We have no choice. I feel like we're screwed either way." Shepard turned to Master Chief who was also speechless.

"I… think we better gather up the troops Commander." Master Chief nodded. "They have to hear this…"

Shepard nodded. "Joker… get everyone to the command deck. Tell them all to take seat when they get up here…"

"_Shepard I got some news for you too… there's a feed coming in from the Citadel… bad news…"_

~ o ~ o ~ o ~

( Earth | 0 Days Left )

Crazy Man's Sign_: _

_Repent you sinners!  
For your technology isn't going to save you from the Lord's Wrath!  
Forever have all you sinners hidden behind your false Science Gods!  
Your time is up now! All praise the Lord!_

The sky was a dim and gloomy gray above New York City, people inside their homes as the attack on the Citadel was enough of a warning for Earth's Alliance army to take it seriously. The forces were on full patrol, help coming in from across the galaxy as a Geth force was seen mobilizing from deep past the Terminus systems, preparing for what seemed an almost kamikaze type attack. An all or nothing war.

The first inkling of disturbance was met with an uproar… ammo being exchanged as Geth ships began to blot out the sky. Miniature soldiers began to rain down behind Geth ammunition… countless metallic crosses hovering down under their guidance.

Judgment Day is here…

* * *

**A/N: **Gah I feel like in the movie where everything has to be explained... is almost explained. Expose mania. Haha. So in plain English. Rachel is a hub. Lucifer and this mystery being shared Rachel's body to start what happened "Spartan and the Spectre" till now...

The next Chapter begins the final mega battle... and towards the end of this story, you will see a set up to the biggest war I could think of in my mind because of all this madness.


	9. Revelation

Explosions and blasts are going off but strangely they almost can't be heard.

This was the eerie silence of a dying planet. Noble Six opened his eyes to a sky that was deep red, instant memories of a bleeding Reach enveloping his mind. He sits up in a hurried curve of his neck, glancing around like a pivoting turret, frantically not knowing where he was.

Wasn't he a prisoner?

Wasn't he on Sovereign's ship?

This was as alien of a planet as it got. It was cold and beyond freezing but there was no ice. The entire area seemed like a large empty canyon, a deep dark gray with jagged rocks that lashed out of the sides of the canyon like knives. The ground beneath was flattened and cracked from damage that must have been massive, this planet seeming to be on its last legs. He gets up on his feet, now seeing brilliant flashes of light miles away. These were signs of war. Something too familiar. These were signs of decimation. This hit a little close to home.

_Where the hell am I?_

He glances down, noticing he's in his normal gray armor. The Spartan strangely was battle ready and fully equipped.

"Come on! Run!"

Noble Six hears the faint echoes of young voices as he spins, turning to see strangely armored soldiers sliding down a crevasse in the canyon, miles up like a giant bladed slide. They are armored in all black suits that weren't of his old world or Shepard's world, strangely glowing a blue hue, skin tight, and seemed to take about as much damage as anything he'd ever seen. Red beams of light cut through the dark sky, hitting these young soldiers almost direct hits, doing a hurting but amazingly they kept running.

"W-we're not going to make it!" He hears one young soldier yell. "Let me distract them!"

"No way man! You go down! I go down with you!"

It felt like an earthquake as rocks began to plummet from the top of the canyon. From the distance the source of the red lasers begin to crash down to the bottom of the canyon as well. The rumbles came in an array of humanoid beings that Noble Six couldn't recognize either. Titanic, robotic, cybernetic, but humanoid creatures walking in a death line as if they were unafraid of any force, challenging anyone who stood in their way. They stomped in unison, shaking the ground beneath, firing their beams from their eyes… deep blood red eyes.

"Fuck these ANGELS!" The young soldiers fired back with beams themselves, rapid fire from weapons that were quite compact, lighting the sky back a bright blue.

"Hey who the heck is that over there? Is that a Spartan?" The second of the pair screamed at Noble Six. "Get out of here! The Angels have found Section 252! Go warn the base!"

Noble Six was about to reply but was stopped as he saw a beam come straight at him. In his super human reflex the Spartan hit the deck, energy flowing across his head, barely nicking him. He felt the warmth on his helmet, fighting up to his feet, knowing what he had to do. It was innate inside him to not stand by and do nothing.

"I'm here to help!"

He picked up his rifle and began firing from afar, noticing instantly his own firearm wasn't firing bullets. These blue pulsing ammunitions that was in his hands tear into the cybernetic androids, a few of them literally cutting in half, the line being decimated. Six was amazed as he was speechless as more of these _Angels_ began to appear. They were closing in fast and efficient. As much damage as he was doing it was futile by himself.

"Holy shit… it can't be you…" The young black clad soldier blinked, diving into cover with Noble Six. "You're the legend! Noble Six!"

"Man right now I'm just a confused Spartan kid!" Noble Six blinked as he peaked over the rock, watching the other soldier that was with them literally be shredded by the lasers, leaving a bleeding mess that hit the floor.

"JENKINS!"

"W-what is going on here?"

"Damn it! NO!" The Black Armored soldier grimaced, as he grabbed Noble Six, pulling the Spartan into a vicious sprint away from the battle field. "Look we have no time! You're a visitor from our old world! Noble Six! Someone brought you here! I'm Carmine! It's an honor to meet you sir!"

"Carmine! Who are you? What is this place?" Six ducked a few blasts as they were making a futile escape.

"This is Rapture sir!" Carmine fired back a few energy blasts at the enemy line, ducking as he continued. "I'm a foot soldier of the Allegiance! We need to get you to safety! Why did you get dropped off here? I'm as good as dead as you can tell!"

"I like your positive spirit!" Noble Six sarcastically fired back without looking, trying to slow down the droids that were coming in fast. It looked as gloom as any situation Six had been in.

But as if someone was watching over them suddenly a large screech stopped the two in their tracks, the armored duo glancing up as another platoon of androids were dropped. It was no surprise. Things were getting worse. Noble Six saw the lead one instantly, the largest one of the bunch staring right at him like he was breakfast. A pair of crimson glowing eyes, a shield over where its mouth would be, long tendrils out of its back like it was hair. The body was a sculpted armor that was a dull metal gray, on its shoulders was mounted canons of some sort.

"_You are being irrational heretics." _The cybernetic humanoid spoke without moving its mouthpiece, its eyes glowing with each word. _"Our master Michael has arrived. This area belongs to us now."_

"We'll never give up without a fight. You Angels we'll take it from us!" Carmine spat, staring death in the face alongside Noble Six. They had to be outnumbered sixty to one at least.

"_You will fight. And you will perish." _ From each wrist appeared blades of energy, shooting out like claws ready to eviscerate. All of the android eyes began to lightly phase into a glow… preparing for their kills.

"What do we do now?" Six noticed they were surrounded with nowhere to run.

"We die honorably?"

"… You know that's not the first time I heard that sadly…"

It was as hopeless as hopeless could get. Noble Six and Carmine were prepping to be bombarded with lasers but out of nowhere a purple hued energy was pressed around them. Carmine and Six shoot a look over to the left as the Angels were suddenly fired upon from above. They see a blue face urging them to move.

"Get out of here young ones! Now!"

An armored woman… no… an Asari in blue stood above them, forming a field around the entire area as red lasers began to cut into her force field. Six took this time to stare at the Asari looking so closely…

_It looks so much…. Like Liara._

"Benezia! Hold on!"

"Hah! The Calvary is here!" Carmine screamed to the sky as ships were closing in.

From behind them a vehicle skids across the field that reminds Six of a Warthog from home but it was more compact and heavily armored. It spins as two armored soldiers leap out, beginning to fire upon the Angels in vicious reply. Six was slack jawed as he watched the two that got out. He really couldn't believe it. Those armors were different but so familiar… Spartan armor influenced for sure.

"Emile! Get Benezia, Carmine, and our old friend out of there!" The blue armored... of all things… Spartan commanded.

"Right away Noble One!"

_Carter…_

_Emile?_

"Nice to see you too Six!" Emile rolled in with a swagger and calmness he always had, pulling with two firearms coiled around his red and gray armor, pointing at the enemy and firing with reckless abandon. "Eat shit you Angel fucks!"

Emile traded blasts with the droids, evading the onslaught of lasers as his old friend couldn't believe it. Noble Six and Carmine didn't even hesitate either now, rolling into cover and outside Benezia's protection, helping laying cover fire that was now evening out. It was still a struggle as the androids were taking damage but still kept pushing forward with their large numbers, the Asari Benezia's shield faltering at least a little bit.

"Jorge! Kat! What's your status! We're being bombarded here!" Carter asks as he joins the fray.

Six just kept blinking as he fired away with pure reaction, accompanied to his right by his old commander. Looking at that familiar blue armor was just unreal. It was a definite feeling of surrealism but it felt right. This was where he belonged even though he'd never been here in his life. Noble Team was here. Many were here, that actually shouldn't have even existed anymore.

"We're right with you Noble One!" The image of Kat landing in the middle of the battle field from some sort of hover craft above made Emile chuckle as he ran forward. Six couldn't even concentrate anymore seeing another one of his old friend appear. The teal suited Noble member still had the moves. And still had the brains.

"Where's the big man!" Emile caught a droid off guard, slashing its head off as it tried to get him.

"He's on his way!" Kat gave her own little cackle as she ducked behind a rock cover, her synthetic arm pulling out and firing repeated shots as if it was a firing weapon. The androids were still falling by the dozens but pushing like the fearless warriors they were.

"Shit!" Noble Six notices an android right up his grill, sneaking over his cover, those blue bladed claws ready to take him out. He jolts back in a falling fire as a distraction came in the form of uncountable bullets that began ripping apart an Angel's chest, the cybernetic creature shrieking out in agony as it falls to the floor.

"Still watching your back after all this time Six?"

"God damn… Jorge. Y-you're here too?"

"Haven't seen you since I threw you out of a Covenant ship. Good times remember?"

That large orange hand was accepted and Six pulled himself up with the strong cutch, watching in utter amazement as the chivalry arrives. Ships and ground vehicles were landing from everywhere, surrounding this strange reunion and evening up the numbers so fast. Six was speechless even more so as he saw familiar soldiers, races of all kind diving into help. There were Krogan and Turians in there for sure. There were the humans and there were a few Asari. But more amazingly… he swore he saw Elites… and even Brutes… when he saw some Covenant Hunters stepping into help he was beside himself.

"What the hell is going on here?" Noble Six yelled out as he fired away at more baddies, androids dropping like flies.

"Welcome to our future. Our last battle old friend!" Jorge didn't even turn to him as he said it, his signature chain gun an upgraded one as he kept those dark robotic creatures at bay.

"Alenko!" Carter was coordinating a prefect attack. "Help Benezia with shields! Cover the fallen!"

"Yes sir commander!"

Noble Six saw a young man with dark armor stand next to the Asari, forming a wave of energy that was a biotic shield that covered the vulnerable soldiers of this apparent _Allegiance_. From behind he sees a Brute smash an android with its hammer. Another android is upended as an energy blade that seemed modded from the usual Sanghelli design, behead another one.

The tides shifted because of a death machine that rolled in. A machine that was run by old friends… and familiar beings… and not so familiar beings. A machine made up of organic life forms battling synthetics with no emotion.

Amazing. It wasn't too long until Noble Six pulled down his gun from firing position, glancing around the once hopeless situation, now with a multitude of soldiers that just saved his ass. He glances at all of them as they were destroying the bodies of the Angels that were in pieces on the ground, surging them with an array of beam type projectiles that melted them.

"_You fools… you will die sooner or later. Our armies are limitless…" _The damaged leader of the Androids was pinned into the jagged rocks, blasted their thanks to Emile and Jorge's heavy artillery.

"Limitless huh?" Emile laughs behind his skull helmet walking up to the upended droid. "You tell your master that we're here to stay… we're here for freedom. The Allegiance isn't going anywhere. Now piss off…"

An energy blade through the head ended the conversation abruptly.

_This has to be the same guys… it has to be them._

"Carmine status report. What happened out there?"

"The rest of scout team is dead sir. Jenkins almost made it but didn't." Carmine sighed towards Carter with a furious clench of his fist. "We were running scouting with the new cruisers we developed. Angels detected us somehow and blew our cover. I am sorry."

"Damn it, another good soldier down is never good." Carter shook angrily as he took off his helmet. "Go scout for the bodies of the fallen before we need to evacuate the area! We have less than a minute" He yells to the troops turning towards Noble Six with a calm smirk.

"Carter… I can't believe what I'm seeing." Noble Six looked around. "Am I dreaming or is this a nightmare?"

"You'll be amazed at what you can see when you finally open your eyes Six." Carter chuckles, his Spartan armor up close looking so much more advanced than anything Noble Six had seen. "Believe it old friend." He extended his hand, his face scarred up from apparent burns from the ship he ran into the Scarab.

Noble Six could only take it, feeling the strong grip with a confused stare.

"Nice to see you Six. I've been wanting to talk to you for so long." Kat patted him on the shoulder, Six feeling the other sensation and confirming how real this all was. She takes off her mask, showing off that scarred up face and short hair. He notices a scar that punctured where the Needle sniper hit her… this was a detail he'd never forget.

"We've been watching you kick ass back in the old world." Emile crossed his arms as he dragged an Angel's body with him. "You're doing us proud Six."

"I can't… I don't…. I don't get this… where is this place?" Six looked over to see Jorge join in, orange armor now spilled with a green fluid that apparently these droids were filled with.

"A war is coming to our old worlds Six." Jorge pointed as a line of soldiers was now in front of them. Of all races, species, and genders. Something… that even looked like a Forerunner Cortana showed him looked familiar.

"You're with my old group…"

"You're Kaiden Alenko aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." The thought to be gone soldier smirked as he reached out his hand, shaking it. "I've been working with your old team. I gotta say I am sure it's an honor for the both of us." He blinks. "Are you dating Ashley Williams yet?"

"I… uh…"

"She's like a sister to me." Kaiden points at him. "Don't mess with her feelings alright?"

"Back off our guy man! He got's bigger problems than that!" Emile shoved Kaiden.

"You must be confused Six. I don't know how much time you have with us but you're here because someone wanted you to see this." Carter chuckles to himself, looking over towards a Turian approaching him. "We've all got second chances because of someone we met before our 'deaths' Noble Six. We are the Allegiance. Sworn to protect all organic life and the to pursue the right of freedom for all life."

"R-rachel…" Noble Six mumbled as he watched the Turian approach. "Allegiance huh?"

"Nihlus, status report?"

"Enemies are approaching from the south that claim to have the angel Michael leading the attack. Our brigade had to retreat. This sector is lost Carter." The Turian named Nihlus shook his head, turning in disappointment. "I lost two Sanghelli and a few Krogan… some of my best men."

"I am sorry to hear that but we must leave now too. We got no time. Signal in the carriers for a pick up now!" Carter commanded, both of them noticing the deep red glows from afar getting nearer. The sounds of a deathly war approaching was never a pleasant thing.

"You all are still fighting when you're all supposed to be dead." Noble Six held his head, having to sit down, feeling like he wanted to vomit.

"Gee thanks dude…" Emile chuckles leaning back against an armored vehicle, staring at his old comrade. "Remember back on Reach when you took out that ship and saved the Chief? I knew we did it all for a reason. We weren't supposed to die. Don't you get it?"

"G-guess not…" Six chuckles, holding his gut trying to not be overwhelmed by the situation. "I guess I never should've died back on Reach. I didn't…"

"This is what the world will be absorbed into Six. This is what awaits anyone that proves they're worth in the previous life." Jorge sat next to him, glancing around. "Our petty war in the past is nothing but a fragment of the true nature of our existence. Reach is nothing compared to what we face here. We fight for our right to exist freely. Not a trivial political war."

"We all were brought here…" Kat placed a hand on Six's helmet. "We're fighting and watching what is happening back home. The girl chose you to bridge the two most important worlds together. To bring Chief and Shepard together…"

"You've been told about this war haven't you?" Carter knelt down to him. "By that little girl that saved us all?"

"… Yes… Rachel told me everything." Noble Six glanced up at his old commander. "She saved you all to bring you here to fight."

"We came here because we all chose to come here and fight." Carter corrected. "It was like time stood still for all of us before we were supposed to leave. Right before the Scarab hit someone came to me and spoke to me. And revealed the truth about our existence and what is wrong."

"The truth is a horrible one but one we all chose to accept it." Benezia joined in the conversation with an elegant speech of those Asari tongue, crossing her arms. "Shepard's team holds you in high regard and so does the one that saves us. You have my respect. We need you here."

"You are Liara's mother…" Noble Six leaned back, feeling really sick now... literally.

"Shit, I don't think Six has much time left with us and we better high tail it out of here." Emile commented as he looked over towards the carriers closing in. "This spiritual visiting stuff still gives me the creeps."

"Silence Emile and respect the ones that saved you." Benezia was annoyed at the loud mouth, laying Six down gently as she ignored Emile. Six felt like the energy was being sapped away from him. "By the way young one. Yes, I am Liara's mother, and I am watching her from here as well. Please tell her than when you see her… I am very proud of her and I love her."

"N-no… problem…"

"Remember what you saw here today Six. We need help here." Jorge looked down solemnly. "The finish to the real war is coming. And the worlds we know are going to come into it even if we didn't deserve this. You have to keep fighting and pushing no matter how bad it looks!"

"We need you here! We need our worlds here to finish this fight against our enslavement." Kat knelt over to Six holding his hand.

"The other one who's trying to 'save us' is a fool. We don't need more mindless soldiers." Carter scowled. "We need you. We need heroes. We need people willing to sacrifice everything like every person standing here. We need the best of us. We need Shepard. We need Master Chief. We need to unite all worlds to free everyone!"

"I… am getting it… damn… it's good to see you guys by the way…" Noble Six mumbled, feeling a coldness spread across his chest. "Alive and well…"

"Man just tell Jun he still owes me money. Beat Sovereign's ass and let's finally bring the war to these assholes that have been toying with us for an eternity!" Emile tapped Six's helmet a bit harshly.

"Tell Shepard she owes me money too by the way." Kaiden added.

"And Saren that I owe him a bullet in the head…" Nihlus answers more angrily.

"We can't wait till you get here old friend." Jorge joined the group kneeling over a disappearing Noble Six, all sharing a warm nostalgic group. "It's time we finish this war with the two heroes that will lead us there."

"Remember what you saw today Six. A place where we as living beings finally get together as a whole and do something worth it for once. To fight for something all of us can understand… a right to survive." Carter finished with a pat to Noble Six's chest. "You are the one that needs to bring us Shepard and Master Chief. They are the ones that are going to bring us to victory. Listen to that little girl! You guys can do it Noble."

"Affirmative… Commander." Six grimaced as he felt his breath stop, seeing his body fade away like a ghost.

"Good bye Noble…" Carter chuckles. "See you soon. Noble Team will return…"

"It's freaking true! Spartans never die son!" Emile finished with an exclamation point, standing up and walking off with the rest of the group.

"_Nihlus lead the south squad towards sector 221 and give out a warning. Chief's old team is there and are holding up okay but we need to keep it safe. Jorge I think we need to rendezvous back up towards the south…" _

Six could barely hear his old commander, hanging out the door of a hover craft, shouting out commands like he used to. The last images he sees are all races standing together strong, watching as an air of death and destruction awaited them without fear or doubt was an amazing thing. They all jumped into vehicles that were coming in, flying off and leaving Six to fade away.

"It's nice to see them… again… I'll… be back…"

_A hero… what is a hero?_

_Someone willing to risk it all for what is right…_

_Someone willing to risk it all for everyone but himself…_

**~ o ~ o ~ o ~**

"Noble Six…"

"Rachel…" Noble Six opened his eyes feeling a renewed sense. It was all real. What he saw was all real. Somehow she let him see an feel a place that existed beyond what he understood.

But what he sees now? He sees Rachel standing in front of him, robed in all white like an angel, standing there with punctures all across her body from what Sovereign did to her. The room that they were imprisoned in was shredded to pieces and in not much better shape, dead Covenant and Geth everywhere. From outside explosions of war could be heard, human screams cutting through the air. Rachel reaches her hand out to touch Noble Six's chest, feeling him and his heart.

"That war… its real. A war… where everyone is actually working… together…"

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all this earlier. You would've never believed me."

"Well, I freaking believe you now." Noble Six felt his suit power up, energy flowing again as it was all back online. It was like a jolt of energy he couldn't believe.

"The world… the universe… creation is now in your hands." Rachel smiled, looking around, Six knowing she was the one who literally awoke and ripped open this place in half with her biotics. "All this hard work is coming to an abrupt end. I've done everything I can for you all to give you the tools to succeed."

"This war that's coming. Why are you on our side instead of your other half?" Six asked. "Your other half seems adamant about building an army…"

"Because I've seen the greatness in you heroes individually. Our world doesn't need power. Our world doesn't need bodies to be saved. We need people like you. Like Master Chief. Like your old friends. I've seen individuals… save entire universes all on one aspect. Not their technology. Not their power. Their hearts… I needed people with hearts."

Six grabbed his weapons as he watched Rachel walk towards the control terminal.

"I was given a choice between Lucifer's plan and the warriors I found here and in all worlds." Rachel smiled. "Because of people like you I decided to side with you. So I have been molding and putting together a force that even God himself will wonder if he can defeat… I need you to trust me. I need you to beat Sovereign and to bring this war to an end. You all deserve the right to exist freely like anything!"

"I agree… thank you for trusting us." Noble Six suddenly took out his omni-tool and began typing, a red electricity hitting him across his chest. "I'm going to get Master Chief and Shepard where they need to be. Where all of us need to be. I promise that to you Rachel."

"I know you'll keep it… take care of yourself Noble Six… I am preparing the gateway."

"_[Statement] Hello Sir! It seems I haven't been online for quite awhile. Have I been a bad A.I.?"_

"No HK, I've just been offline a bit myself." Noble Six smirks as he stroked Rachel's head caringly. "I always trusted you after the Citadel. You know that right?"

"Yes and I know now that I wasn't wrong for trusting all of you." Rachel pointed. "Go save the Earth… and then we save everything else! This is all of your time to speak back against all the wrongs done to you and your predecessors!"

"You got it ma'am!" Six walked towards the huge opening, staring out to an Earth that was being torn apart by Sovereign and his invasion. "HK… give me a lock down on Sovereign and those four idiots he calls his sidekicks."

"_[Exclamation] Oh your ideas and name calling is quite exciting master! Are we finally going to crush some bad meat bags?"_

"That's the idea…" With a lock and load of all his weapons, Noble Six felt a renewed goal in his head. His body was full strength and his mind was focused.

"Go get em' Six." Rachel grinned.

"Take care… you hear me?"

"Always…"

With that the Leviathan was left behind. The Spartan began to plummet to the ground. Rachel stares at the screen as she types, her eyes glowing an powerful white as the seven halo rings on the image finder begins to glow.

_"You choose them over your our oldest plan. You're being a fool..."_

"I am choosing the best path to victory..."

_"Sovereign and his forces will crush your foolish little Shepard and Master Chief..."_

"We'll see about that..."_  
_

**- Cerberus Streaming Feed -**

_-Tag- _

_Noble Six: "Desperate message to Chief and Shepard… are you out there?"_

_*Sounds of exploding Geth and fire litter the radio system*_

_Shepard: "*ksst* Six… you're alive? Is this some joke?"_

_Master Chief: "Told you he'd be okay. Welcome back soldier."_

_Ashley: "I… I can't believe it… I…"_

_Noble Six: "Nice to hear you too Ashley. I'm more than okay and I'm on my way. And boy do I have a story to tell you all." _

_Ashley: "*Whimpers* Y-y-you better come back to us… right now!"_

_Shepard: "God I hate when you do this but we're preparing for a counter offensive towards Sovereign right now. Meet us up at these coordinates. The Earth has seen better days!"_

_Master Chief: "Blue Team is on the way Commander. Six we're not that far off your position based on your signal." _

_Noble Six: "Good to hear sir. Come pick me up Blue Team. Let's go finish off these Immortals. Six out!"_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Thanks for the supports dudes. This Chapter was strange to write... but fun. You guys who support... you know who you are... Much respect! Thank you!

Let's rock and end this baby the right way! We're heading towards the end full steam ahead! Vrooom... vroom... vroom...


	10. Wretches and Kings

_"There's a time, when the operation of the machine becomes so odious… Makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels! Upon the levers! Upon all the apparatus! And you've got to make it stop!"_ - Mario Savio

* * *

_[ Los Angeles, California | Planet Earth ]_

_Five Hours into invasion._

"Come on! Everyone move! Move!" An Alliance brigade leader commanded at the top of his lungs.

When they sky is red? And the world is falling apart around you? Order seems to be a thing of the past. Alarms that were stationed across any Alliance military bases that would trigger across the entire state during grave emergencies were unleashed, each one of them ringing out underneath the noise that was war explosions. A small crowd of lagging civilians was darting across the street like frightened pyjack, hugging close to a building wall as Geth and Alliance soldiers were literally tearing the city apart.

The blasts came from everywhere as Alliance Tanks clashed with Geth Colossuses, as Alliance Air Strike teams dealt with Geth Air units. Los Angeles was in flames since the first shot was fired. The whole world was at war… with this the center piece of it all.

"What are those humans with the Geth!" A man screamed out as he grabbed an Alliance soldier, private rank. "They took my son!"

"I don't know sir! Stand back!"

The Immortal brand of Spartans was on patrol, calculatingly seizing humans to add to their army for unknown reasons. Everyone knew the message but they still couldn't understand. The ones that were invading them… claimed to be 'saving' them. Sovereign's message wasn't being accepted… and the price being paid was too much to handle.

"Oh shit not them… no! Back up! Run the other way!"

A titanic Colossus (double in mass of a normal unit) decked in a red armor carrying a large scatter of Geth Armature units and a few Immortal soldiers came crashing down from above, creating a tremor and crevasse the size of a small park. The amphibian assault Geth began to leap around blackening the sky, catching onto the nearby skyscraper, cornering these civilians as the ground units closed in.

"Fuck! We need to get out of here!"

All hope seemed loss as the controlled Spartans led the walk, pulling out their guns without a sense of emotion at all.

"Come peacefully and be saved…" The front Spartan droned, the young men of the surviving civilians jumping in front of their wives and children valiantly as a small group of Alliance soldiers pulled out their own weapons. They had no chance…

"Yo chrome dome!" The Spartans surprisingly heard a throaty yet high pitched voice yell their way, a shadowed figure glowing purple hue a few meters from them. "Why don't you worry about who's going to save your fucking asses instead?"

A huge tidal wave of biotic energy sent the gray armored Spartans crashing through a Sears 2500 department store in a splintering and glassy mess, the Geth turning and opening fire, only to be blocked by a tech driven force field.

"Why didn't you listen to orders? Keel'ah you crazy bat!"

Jack only smirked as she slid behind a hefty Hummer type aircar, grabbing her trusty pistol. "Shut up Quarian and help out!"

Tali'Zorah, no matter how annoyed was as focused a little techie as ever, sending out drones that soared like raptors towards the Geth units, slicing a few to bits with well-aimed lasers. The civilians cleared back towards this new help as Alliance soldiers fired away to create a perimeter. From across the street a scurrying Alliance squadron was being overwhelmed, shouting for people to run as they tried to pull back.

A Geth armature had a clear shot at a civilian only to feel its head crushed by two huge thick masses. The last thing it heard was a battle cry from a pair of amped up Krogan, their fists being its end. Wrex and Grunt chuckled their hefty bellows as the Geth crumbled to the floor, the two unleashing a fury of shotgun fire into another pack of Geth, bludgeoning them to bits.

"So this is what my ancestors felt like… conquering!" Grunt laughed as he decapitated a straggling Geth with his shotgun.

"This is just a warm up…" Wrex trudged along with his huge stomps, charging like an unstoppable battering ram and spiking his own Geth victims upwards left and right.

From behind the chaos more Geth began to file in… only to be met with more force. A Turian and two humans were fending them off… Garrus Vakarian gladly aiding two Cerberus originals.

"I've never seen anything like this!" Miranda grunted as she ducked from fire, sending her own biotical pulse towards an Immortal Spartan. The wave, like their constant attacking seemed to only slow down these Sovereign soldiers.

"This must be almost every Geth beyond the Terminus system…" Jacob almost got clipped by that Spartan's assault rifle fire, aiding his partner in crime with his own accurate pistol work. "It's like they're throwing everything at the Earth. It has to be a global invasion…"

"Wow you make it sound so incredibly nice. How about these Spartan imposters?" Garrus commented with little amusement as his sniper scope had that Spartan in his targets, sending a spiked bullet right through the helmet, dropping the Immortal in a bloody mess. "… They're strong… but they're definitely not Noble Six or Master Chief…"

"Chief was right…" Miranda smirked. "I guess you can't… mathematically create something like them."

"At least that gives us a fighting chance… if these were a hundred thousand of the Spartans we know?" Jacob sighed only to pause. _We should just go lie down in the fetal position._ Is what he wanted to finish with but his manhood just wouldn't let him.

On the perimeter civilians were circled inside as the heroes in turn circled around them, not letting enemies get pass the line. Two Asaris found themselves inside that protective area as well, aiding the injured while placing a force field around them. Liara and Samara were as impressive as it got when it came to defensive biotics. An Asari pair of the ages.

"Liara, how many medi-gel units do you have?"

"… Enough for only these people Samara. We must keep them safe!"

"Then you better make them count…" Samara warded off an aerial blast from incoming Geth forces with an air-bourne shockwave that smashed even building glass around them, tons of debris crashing down killing off more droids.

"It's okay… we'll keep you safe." Liara held a young child protectively treating him with care as his eyes were in shock. "You'll be fine…"

"T-thank you… I.. AH! MISS! BEHIND YOU!" The child screeched

Liara turned staring at a Spartan right in her face as she gently pushed the child aside, gasping as she was grabbed by her throat and lifted. A force field couldn't stop this monster from getting close. She gasped as her eyes glowed, preparing for a biotic push, only to be slammed harshly to the ground like she was a plastic doll. Liara felt her side crack from the force, spitting out blood as she cried out.

"Leave her alone you fake!"

Liara stared hazily as a black armored fit of rage came in, using her heavy assault rifle as a melee weapon. The Spartan's head slammed left and right as Ashley Williams was teeing off on him, sending the Immortal reeling back in shock.

"Now, get up from this…" Ashley slammed her assault rifle underneath his chin, and emptied her clip with a pull of that trigger, blood spraying out as she saw the body fall limp to the ground. Ash spun around ready to take out more… only to see a Drell moving so fast Geth couldn't even target him. Having Thane Krios on your side… was never a bad thing. The Geth fell with each pistol shot through their heads.

"Nice of you to drop in finally…"

"Family stuck in a burning building… sorry I am not as fast as a mass effect driver surge." Thane answered as he calmly as always walked towards another Geth crowd to help out Tali and Jack.

Ashley chuckled at the Drell, turning and walking to Liara. "Hey you alright?"

"Y-yes…" Liara grimaced as she wiped her bleeding mouth, trying to stand, only to fall again, thankfully to be caught. Ash pressed a medi-gel pack into her side as she tried to deny it. "N-no, don't waste that… on me…"

"Hah, and watch Shepard ring my throat saying I didn't help you? No thanks…"

"W-where is Shepard…?" Liara felt the healing come in slowly, groaning.

"Spartans are always preparing to take out the big fish…" Ash shook her head. "They're here though…"

The Geth Colossus mark IV was closing in and Cereberus' best were prepared for it. A large tank… no… a new Mako suddenly exploded out of a nearby aircar parking structure, firing its tank cannon and almost leveling the Colossus back a few steps in incendiary bursts. The Colossus replies with its own heavy fire though showing its own power, sending the Mako careening into a building and crushed upside down.

"… There goes funding for that." Miranda sighed as Jacob just face-palmed at her financial worry.

The Colossus began to crush the street with each step of its way over, preparing to fire and finish the fallen vehicle off as it detects a small entity rise from the ashes. Its threat signal radiates inside its cybernetic brain, finding it unusual as no single unit could do this. An M-226 rocket launcher aimed right at it wasn't a usual sight.

The missile fired dead on as Commander Shepard decided to go with the heaviest weapons possible, pulling out all the stops. A huge gaping hole across the Colossus body was quite sight, punching through all that alloy was no easy feat. Everyone was still amazed it was standing, plasma fluid and sparks spraying out.

"Jun… cover fire!"

The Colossus couldn't catch a break it seemed, its targeting face being pummeled with sniper rounds with unmatched accuracy; hitting the same spot so many times it shattered its vision lens. From far off on the edge of a skyscraper a camouflaged Spartan was doing what he knew how to do. Spartans… true Spartans were relentless when they smelled blood.

"_It's all clear Chief… finish the it off sir." _Jun signaled.

"_Ya heard him John…"_

Master Chief never hesitates, leaping off the building in a furious dive bomb towards the staggering Colossus. From below a green blur is seen slamming into the Colossus like its own bullet head at terminal velocity, Chief nearly KO-ing the beast from his shoulder charge. Repeatedly John-117 tears at the damaged eye with his own hand as the Colossus bucks and screeches, digging a hole through that reinforced new-age glass. He pulls out his newly acquired Cerberus weapon… the _Impulse._

"Tell everyone to back off…" Chief relayed Cortana the message as the Cerberus super squad helped evacuating civilians get to safety. John-117 leapt off with his jetpack, firing right into the 'brain' of the Geth titan and sent a pulse of energy crushing its body. It was imploding… not exploding… crushing the insides of the Colossus head like a tuna can.

Chief landed on the Colossus as it crumpled to the floor sending waves of dust and debris into the air. A giant monster was motionless like a smaller scarab, standing on top of it as he quickly went to work, running towards the shoulder cannons that were its most dangerous weapon.

"_Let me guess… you want to use this thing's fire power."_

"If you could so kindly help." Master Chief tore into the armor underneath as Cortana appeared on his head, leaping off and into the fallen Colossus. John-117 was a soldier but was about as clever as a combat General. He knew exactly what he wanted to save from this Geth… and Cortana was activating it with reserve power…

The shoulder cannons went online as it sprouted from the 'dead' Geth, and began to unleash fury on its own allies. Chief and Cortana just made the perimeter a whole lot safer. Even the Spartan units that were pushing forward now began to back off into cover, retreating. Shepard could only smile as the civilians behind just watched a small unit… ward off the most unyielding attack they had ever seen.

"When you're facing an apocalypse I don't know who else I'd want on my side." She fired off an SMG round towards a staggering Geth Prime, sending it crashing to the floor limp.

"Man… I love this team." Jacob followed up as they all closed in tight, regrouping to center. The Cerberus unit just looked around as the perfect squad… was showing that quality stumped quantity any day.

"Everyone alright?" Shepard looked around as she got nods.

"That was fun…" Jack laughed as she holstered her pistol, kicking a Geth's head on the ground.

"Yeah… when I have to watch you like a child? It isn't quite as entertaining." Tali crossed her arms.

"Aww… is Quarian mad because she catches that cute bald headed Spartan staring at my body?" Jack mentioned Jun with a smarmy smile, Tali just growling underneath her breath in embarrassment.

"No one's completely hurt... some of us actually seem stronger." Miranda was typing in her omni-tool, progressing their movement. They all looked over to the 'stronger', watching Wrex and Grunt still smashing beat down Geth that were clearly on the verge of death. It was just as brutal as it was… amusing.

"We need to get these Alliance soldiers and civilians to evacuation centers." Master Chief walked in as Shepard was already ahead of him.

"Soldiers, who's in charge here?" Shepard walked over to the battle weary battalion of Alliance warriors.

"Me ma'am, rogue leader of extract battalion. Major Kanji Tatsumi." A white haired young man, bowed his head as he stood with damaged armor.

"You did good keeping these people alive. Can we get you all to a nearby evacuation spot?"

"There's one about a mile due south of here… hopefully it's still intact. All of our forces have been concentrating on protecting those spots."

"I wish we could go around saving people but we need to deal with the problem." Shepard nodded. "Soldier I need all intel on this area and to see where you guys are situated. Where each Alliance base is and-"

"I can't do that ma'am… emergency protocol… I cannot speak to Cerberus operatives-"

"Are you fucking kidding?" The young not-so-accompanying soldier felt himself picked up by his armor and slammed into a wall. "We just saved your ass and you're giving Shepard shit?"

"Williams… calm down." Shepard tried to hold her.

"We have no time for this!" Ashley Williams pulled off her black helmet, showing herself. "I'm Chief Gunnery Ashley Williams of the Alliance… and I'm TELLING you to give Shepard that information!"

"… Human women… can be quite scary…" Thane mumbled.

"I kind of like it…" Garrus laughed.

Kanji blinked. "My God… Ashley Williams… I… I thought you were-"

"Dead… yes lots of people are supposed to be dead lately… right?" Ash turned over to Shepard as they shrugged. Chief also shrugged.

"Now tell my commander what she wants to know after she SAVED your ass… I'm giving you an order!"

Kanji was roughly shoved away, nodding in shame. "Alright… let me send all I know through your omni-tool…" He began typing. "There's been rumors of Shepard and a small group being unstoppable, and this new age of soldier on the brink of existing." The white haired soldier stared at the two Spartans of the group. "Guess… it's all true. Far out…"

Shepard nodded and patted the Alliance soldier on the shoulder. "Thanks for the help." She took the information and sent it over to Chief. "Cortana be our eyes as we get these people to safety."

"Yes ma'am." Cortana began analyzing the data in rapid fashion. "H-hey… incoming transmission from an old 'friend' Shepard…"

On Chief's wrist suddenly a hologram of a certain Turian showed up, standing next to a Geth?

"_Shepard…"_ Saren's signal cracked into the omni-tool's receiver.

"Oh here comes renegade Turian who still doesn't follow orders…" Ashley always had to get her shot in when it came to Arterius.

"_Keep that human's mouth shut so I can speak…" _

"Williams is right. I don't appreciate you disregarding my orders Saren…" Shepard remembered when he took off a few miles back without saying a word.

"_I've been honoring our shaky trust since we've revived you but now? This is my business to be finished." _Saren turned to the Geth unit… wearing Shepard's old armor. The whole team blinked, can't believing that there was a Geth standing next to Saren again… was he turning on them?

"W-what the…"

"_I've met a rogue Geth… or as he claims… a true Geth. The ones attacking Earth and were under my command are deemed heretics by ones like him."_

"_Commander Shepard my name… is Legion and it is an honor to finally meet."_

Everyone was still a few steps back in the conversations. A talking… Geth?

"_We have no time for pleasantries Geth… go on with it."_

"_The heretics are no longer processing their codes any longer. They chose to serve the Collectors but for some reason have been re-coded to follow Sovereign. I have been following them and analyzing them. They no longer communicate the way we normally do. They've all been tampered with at a global level."_

"You saying Sovereign's brain washed… them all?"

"Shepard! Saren could be a part of this whole mess again!" Wrex growled. "I knew we couldn't trust that-"

"_KZZZT… SSHT… SLASSSGHGf… SST KZZZT…" _Legion began to buzz and click, only to calm down. _"That is what I keep hearing… translated to something you would all understand. They are repeating these words. Assimilation… The end for us is here."_

"They… want to die…" Master Chief looked around as he saw the litters of Geth on the floor. "That makes sense…"

"_I can only read the Reaper's actions. Sovereign wants them to all die as he 'saves' humanity. He has no regards towards the heretics, their God has failed them. I cannot let him invade and integrate himself into our kind."_

"That's just… cut throat." Shepard almost felt… bad for the Geth. "That's why this attack seemed so uncoordinated… he just sent all the Geth to their death as he keeps growing these Spartans."

"_The Spartans by the way, I know what's happening after taking down a few." _Saren picked up a retrofitted MJOLNIR helmet. _"Remember that year ago when Noble Six was plagued by Sovereign's control?"_

"… This is nothing but the same situation multiplied into the thousands?"

"_Machining these humans, Sovereign can control them with ease. They're all being controlled beyond indoctrination. This is flat out control on a global level…"_

"Just like the Geth…" Garrus was thinking.

"If we can get to Sovereign and finish him… will that stop the Spartans?" Miranda stepped forward.

"_That would seem the wisest of assumptions human." _Saren smirked. _"And I will find that Reaper… and finish him myself to save you the trouble."_

So Saren didn't turn on them. Everyone knew that Saren wasn't exactly trustworthy based on his past. But his obsession and his forced loyalty… had made everyone at least respect him… all be it those in Shepard's old group quite miniscule in that sense. Saren left because he wanted to deal with Sovereign. He wanted to be the one that killed him. Not through… disrespect.

"Sovereign's my kill." Ashley growled her womanly fury, not caring. "He's mine!"

"_Well then you better catch up Lieutenant…" _Saren's hologram suddenly points to her. _"I bring some good news actually for you. Shepard I'm in an Alliance defensive combat barrack. The human survivors and straggling Alliance soldiers claimed they were doomed because power failed… Geth cutting the lines… and Spartans guarding the power grid. They say a miracle happened when the defensive turrets came back online… killing off their attackers."_

"Heh, sounds just like him." Shepard chuckled only to have everyone smile in amusement. Ashley… for the first time this whole combat tour grinned huge.

"_I'm right on his tail…" _Saren pointed towards the wall of the building… written in apparent Immortal blood were the words:

**SIX WAS HERE**

It was a simple message… but inspirational and quite funny. Just like Noble Six.

"_The theory is simple… we kill Sovereign this ends. And I no longer owe anyone a thing…" _Saren suddenly cut off the feed, the Cerberus group nodding at the tentative plan.

"Alright we need to end this now." Shepard walked over to Kanji with a new sense of emergency and hope. "I need to speak with whoever is in charge. Get us to Sovereign… and this war can be finished right here."

"T-that's a suicide mission…" Kanji blinked.

"That's what we're built for…" Master Chief finished as he joined Shepard side by side.

_To save face! How low can you go?  
Talk a lotta game but yet you don't know!  
Static on the wind, makes us all say whoa!  
The people up top push the people down low!_

- M – H – M –

_Eight Hours into Invasion…_

The plan was in place and rolling out as Master Chief led the Blue team of Miranda, Thane, and the Krogan duo. The team split up to keep hidden as they would close in on the heart of Los Angeles where intel showed Sovereign and the most concentrated pack of Spartans and Geth. They needed to cut off the head and finish this bastard off somehow and someway. A battle with a suicidal Geth and these new Spartans would be a losing one and their numbers kept growing.

"It's funny watching you next to a shopping center Chief…" Miranda whispers amused as she kept her pistol up.

"Always good to get a laugh... I guess." Chief droned as he scanned the streets, staying in the dark alleyway.

"Sorry, I just can't picture you Spartans… settling down and you know. Getting married… it's just… picturing you guys shopping or buying food, still all in your armors… being all normal."

"_Married? Is she… hitting on you Chief?" _Cortana rolled her eyes.

John-117 didn't even give it a thought as he had bigger things to worry about than the games of the fairer kind. Wrex and Grunt were more relatable for a battle worn Spartan… scarily enough. The Krogan respected the greatest Spartan to ever step on the battlefield… only he could command them without any lip talk.

"Spartan, I think you want to check this out." Wrex pointed across the alleyway, seeing a couple of large metallic crosses, beaming with red energy. Master Chief stepped forward, staring at the technological marvels or disasterpieces, depending on the point of view.

"This… is an abomination." Thane commented, his respect for life far exceeding the stereotypical bounty hunting assassin.

"Those must be the pods… Williams was talking about." Miranda followed the group tight as they dashed over, getting a closer look.

"These are how a machine decides to build Spartans?" Master Chief shook his head in disbelief as he saw a human inside the pod of this cross, watching him writhe in agony. "We need to get this man out of this."

"But what if he dies?"

"He's already as good as dead… we need to try." Master Chief grabbed the bottom of the cross and began to pull, literally crushing the alloy and tearing the circuitry into shreds. It tipped over, slamming into the ground, opening up as a horrible image met them. A man with wires injected into him, sending in fluids… lacerations and cybernetic veins pulsing around his body.

"Aagh! PLEASE STOP THE PAIN!"

"What do we do to help him!" Miranda ran over, kneeling over this poor young kid, knowing a medi-gel unit would be useless. "We can't pull this all out… it's already too…"

"Late…" Master Chief grabbed his assault rifle, looking down at him.

"_Chief these things… you can't just stop them. Once it starts…"_

"Cortana, I know…"

"Yes… please… KILL ME!" The man screamed so pathetically. "T-they took my family! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING! KILL ME… AND THEN KILL THEM!"

"Have peace." Master Chief humanely shot him right through the head, silencing the innocent victim. Miranda trembled at the horrific sight… watching as Chief stood up like a machine… walking off towards the other opening. "This isn't what the Spartan project is about…"

"… Chief…"

"Wrex… Grunt… Thane. Finish off any of the humans in these pods." Chief said it with the same vigor he always had, which was barely on the radar. Wrex and Grunt nodded out of respect for Chief and began to do so… actually respecting each human as they were slain. Even the most blood thirsty Krogan knew there was no sport in this… nor humor. Thane did what he always did… saying a prayer to the heavens before he finished them off.

"Chief… it's alright to be upset." Miranda followed him out, wondering what it would take to push someone as level headed as John-117 over.

"Being upset does nothing. Just go finish your job that's all that matters." Chief calmly answered as he looked at his omni-tool. "Sovereign will get what's coming to him."

"Right…"

"_Chief, Miranda…" _Cortana bleeped in. _"Targets closing in from the south side! Be careful!"_

Chief, Thane, and the Krogan loaded up as Ms. Lawson gave them a biotic field. Miranda knew Chief in so little time but definitely knew this. Master Chief keeps his words.

These Geth and Spartans had no chance… even by himself Chief was ripping a hole through their assault.

_Get down! And obey every word!  
Steady, get in line if you haven't yet heard.  
Wanna take what I got? Don't be absurd!  
Don't fight the power! Nobody gets hurt..._

- M – H – M –

"Jun! Is the battalion safe?" Shepard took into cover as missiles whizzed over her head.

"_Yes ma'am! They've reached the evacuation spot. It's under heavy attack though. Gray team has to stay here and help at least until everyone's gone with your permission Commander."_

"Of course… and I also give you permission to date Tali if you survive…" Shepard joked as she rolled to another protective spot. She kept thinking of the Quarian and Jack going at it angrily… knowing putting a peaceful one like Samara between them being a great idea.

"_Date her?"_ Jun sounded so amused_. "You think she likes me?"_ A sniper shot sounded off as a dying Geth noise made Shepard smirk.

"You're an accurate shot A266… why don't you take a shot at her heart after we kill Sovereign… I can read the signs."

"_Maybe I will… I'll probably have to shower 10 times prior but…"_

"Too much information soldier…"

"_Just trying to lighten the mood ma'am. Signing off! Got a fleet to take care of!"_

"Understood Jun... be safe." Shepard had befriended Noble Six's partner quite close, standing up and began firing off, sending a few Spartans away. One Spartan comes from the side, sniping Shepard in the shoulder, the newest of the good Spartan ranks twisting and landing on her back. "DAMN IT!" She winced as she crawled to the left.

"There's too many of them!" Ashley kept her rate of fire up, but was blistered with a few shots sending her into a wall. "UNGH!"

"Ashley!" Shepard rolled over to her side, shooting with her good arm.

"I'm alright!" Ash growled as she sat in cover, holding her singed armor. "T-these Spartans… mean business…"

Liara's force field flashed over the team, but her biotic stamina was being tested. There were too many Spartans and Geth in this cluster for even an advanced team like this. Shepard knew she had to backup. Her team was going to crumple under this tension.

Luck isn't something you can teach though…

A wave of biotics suddenly crushed the frontline of Spartans, sending them skidding back like dead weight. Disruptor ammunition began to fire from the anti-Geth Legion… Saren following behind with his blaster fire covering them.

"I'd never thought I'd say I'd be glad to see that guy but I've been doing it way too much!" Garrus split from his cover from behind having an opening, sniping his own targets.

"Nice of you to come back…" Shepard smirked as she turned around and fired at the diversion. Saren didn't even turn as his dark energy was fueling the good side… for good.

"Let's just say I needed a little convincing…" The Turian crushed a Geth with his biotic and sent it into a glass window.

"From who?" Shepard blinked.

"Oh my God…" Ashley twitched at the sight of _who_.

There are only two Hyper lethal tags given to the Spartan ranks. Killing hoards of enemies by yourself was a requirement… Noble Six was right at home doing so… even with deadly Spartan Immortals.

A Spartan tried to spin its assault rifle right at the gray Noble member, only to have his head cracked to the side with a fist. Noble Six spun unleashing grenades towards another group of Spartans, shattering their cover and setting them a blaze.

"You guys dress the part but you're not Spartans yet!" Noble Six made every shot count, splitting heads as they were falling like flies. The Cerberus team kept pushing forward and eventually was the only ones left standing.

"Who else did you expect? Udina?" Saren crossed his arms as Legion stood next to him, for Shepard looking like an image of a horrific past… now turned was just all excitement though, they just got a big part of the team back. A friend… and for Ashley…

"SIX! Get your ass over here!"

"Yes ma'am." Noble Six walked over like a scorn child, all smiles behind his helmet. "Nothing like a nice day for an apocalypse hey guys?"

"You fucking idiot!" The words made the Spartan tremble as Ashley made a beeline right towards him, ready to smack him with all the strength she had. Six grabbed her wrists and kept her at bay… she was showing more fight than any Geth.

"How could you keep doing this to me! Freaking me out! You didn't need to fucking stay on that ship! YOU COULD HAVE DIED! I-"

"Ashley… calm down!"

"I AM NOT CALMING DOWN YOU BASTARD! I AM TIRED OF YOU-"

"Hey… I'm sorry… I lost my head back there…" Noble Six calmly pressed his hand towards her helmet. "I just got so angry… when they got you…"

"… I'm… angry now." Ashley was still steaming, slowly calming down as she breathed slowly. Six had her down and relaxed with his youthful nature.

"We got a lot to talk about… I'm just happy to see you."

"… Y-you know your smooth talking is only going to help you for now… later I'm going to throttle you…" Ashley warned him. "And then… we can make up however you want."

"Whoa… did you just-"

"Hey uh lovebirds can we please get a move on?" Garrus pointed towards another flurry of Immortal soldiers closing in. Ash shot Garrus a look. "S-sorry to interrupt… heh."

"Shepard, I got no time to explain what I told you before but-"

"Yeah Six, your story about some sort of weird dimension and dead friends…"

"It's all real… I know it. All this shit happening now it's all a damn ruse and a test…" Six nodded. "Anyway, we need to destroy Sovereign and get this world ready for the war that will happen."

"Do you have a plan? Because we're just winging it right now…" Shepard crossed her arms. "You Chief and Jun seem to be the experts at planetary destruction scenarios…"

"I know where Sovereign is! Get everyone together. The Citadel forces are on their way any minute… once they hit and create a diversion? We make our move and finish him off."

"Sounds like a plan."

"We're going to need EVERYONE for this to work." Noble Six pointed at Saren… the Turian having the utmost respect for his first Cerberus teammate. It's because of Six that Saren remembered what he used to be when he was young. Someone that his own kind respected… he still wasn't the sentimental type clearly…

"Enough words… let's go." Saren urged with his growling voice. He knew his best chance of finding Sovereign was through… this team anyway.

"You heard him…" Shepard looked at the squad, radioing in. "Jun… Chief… I've intercepted Noble Six and Saren… prepare to rendezvous at the check point!"

_If you haven't heard yet? Then I'm lettin' you know.  
There ain't shit we don't run when the guns unload!  
And no one make a move, unless my people say so  
Got everything outta control, now everybody go…_

_Feel alone! Final blow!  
We, the animals, take control!  
Hear us now! Clear and true!  
Wretches and Kings, we come for you!_

- M – H – M –

Holograms were all over the city… all over the country… all over the world. Sovereign's message kept spreading like cancer as the Geth and his minions were laying waste to Earth… the Alliance was holding on strong but they needed help.

"The time has come humans to make a stand. To stop this injustice of life!" Sovereign preached towards the world as his Four Horsemen stood next to him. Surrounding him were crosses that were in the hundreds… more and more humans being forced against their will to become these… cybernetic monsters.

"Nighty night…" Famine grabbed a man and shoved him into a cross… closing it to the screams with a chuckle. "Stop crying like a bitch… and be a man."

"The Rapture is here… our war for freedom is here. FOLLOW ME! I will lead you all to victory! I-"

_KSST…_

_KSST_

Every hologram suddenly vanished and Sovereign glanced around after his own image distorted, wondering what was going on. An image of Cortana with a red hued robot appeared on screen.

_Cortana: We interrupt this amazing sermon by a mad Reaper to bring you breaking news. HK?_

_HK-47: [Appreciative exclamation] Thank you meat bag impersonating A.I. Statement. Humans of Earth, a message has been sent by Commander Shepard to not fear this clueless buffoon._

_Cortana: Help is on the way and hope is on the way. Don't give in to Sovereign! He's just a loudmouth with too much time on his hands!_

_HK-47: [Insult]. This is a machine that failed to be a machine. That failed to be a reaper. Now he thinks he's a meat bag! How… embarrassing._

"What the hell is going on?" Sovereign grabbed Plague by his armor, and his eyes turned red, almost crushing the Horsemen in his powerful grip. "Why are these fools interrupting my words?"

"The Spartans have hacked into our system… somehow." Plague answered simply to only be tossed back angrily, falling into War.

_Cortana: I can't agree with you anymore HK. Blah… blah… blah… is all I hear Sovereign spit out. Save the world… I'm a messiah… that is so played out… you know this stuff happened like thousands of years ago? _

_HK-47: Suggestion. Perhaps maybe you should shut your mouth and 'save' us your mindless banter Sovereign?_

"Sir… the Citadel forces have arrived…" War suddenly broke out of a cluster, signaling in. The Horsemen prepared for a berating only to be pleasantly surprised.

"… They're too late…" Sovereign smiles, not worrying at all, noticing images of halos in the sky.

_Cortana: Oh they may be! But I know of a few guys that aren't late. And they say they can't wait to see you all…_

_HK-47: [Suggestion] Give up now…_

Suddenly Plague felt bullets litter his armor in sparks, as he fell to the ground in a roll. Famine pulled out his hand guns only to have incendiary bullets catch one of them on fire, the Horsemen backing up and dropping his weapon angrily. Even War and Death had to take cover as they were being rained upon with ammunition, their armors can only take so much. All Spartans and Geth surrounding Sovereign heard the roar of all Alliance that were left standing… ready for a counterstrike of epic proportions.

"Finally these fucks show up…" Famine laughed.

Death pointed with his scythe at a closing in objects, four Spartans standing strong with sniper rifles all ready to fire.

"Looks like we got an old fashioned Firefight…" Jun smirks.

"Alright… Let's shut these Horsemen up for good…" Shepard reloaded her gun. "Everyone watch each other's backs."

"I've been waiting too long for this." Noble Six prepared to close the distance. "Let's see how they handle us when they don't sneak up…"

Chief stood in the front silent, signaling for the formation to spread. Shepard told him she wanted him to help her lead and that it was going to take the two of them to get this war on the right track. War knew the danger of just this one Spartan alone… this was going to be a dogfight.

"Bring it on Spartans…" Plague whispered as the biggest battle in this invasion was about to occur.

"Stop them…" Sovereign commanded, and with that the guns of Spartan teams began to light up the bleeding sky.

_Get down, and I'm runnin' it like that.  
The front of the attack is exactly where I'm at.  
So get with the combat… I'm lettin' them know.  
There ain't shit you can say to make me back down now._

_So push the button! Let the whole thing blow.  
Spinning everything outta control, now everybody go._

- M – H – M –

[ Earth's Orbit ]

Those reptilian eyes slowly opened as Arbiter had no idea what just happened. He faintly remembers a light… and a mission with a small group of his best. His elite squadron of Sanghelli warriors was with him… on the ground, knocked out but slowly coming to their senses. The silver armored leader began to stand up weakly, remembering that they were all investigating the Halo phenomena.

"Nice of you to wake up."

The Arbiter blinked in surprise, but nof ear. "W-who… who are you?"

"The one's you should be worshipping but are too confused to do so… call me Rachel."

The white hooded little girl was standing next to the Halo reactor all these Forerunner technologies at her hand. No defensive units or security measures were being sent out. This being almost looked like a ghost. An angel?

"What do you want from us? What are you doing?"

"You're no longer in your home galaxy or even your own existence. Soon? There will be no difference." Rachel turned to them. "You are one of the best warriors in your universe. I watched you and Master Chief win an apocalyptic war mostly on your own."

"Him…? You know… him?" Arbiter's fist clenched at the thought of that Spartan that was the ultimate challenge.

"He's here, on this Earth. I saved him and brought him here." Rachel pointed at the burning planet below, the image of a dying world nothing alien in the eyes of a former Covenant warrior. Glassing a planet seemed actually more pleasant than this one… though.

"Where are we?"

"The gateway to Rapture. The gateway to the war that will end all wars." Rachel said calmly. "Below Master Chief and a team is fighting for who will take the mantle as the savior of all galaxies. I want you to help him."

"… I…" Aribter turned his clueless soldiers with his own confusion then looking back at Earth with a glow in his eye. For some reason he trusted this little girl. It was a strange feeling but he couldn't explain it. "If the Spartan is in trouble… then I have no problem aiding him… if you speak the truth."

"You know I speak the truth…" Rachel's eyes flashed now a brilliant white. "Here's a testament to how great of warriors this world can breed. You will all come with me and join the fight. Chief must be victorious…"

"_After we open the gates of course…" _Rachel whispered flashing red now suddenly, making the Arbiter step back a few steps. It was almost schizophrenic… and possession like.

"Of course…" Rachel was apparently speaking to herself as her eyes glowed, working the Halo controls and making the entire Halo array shift. The Arbiter and his crew felt the shaking as they struggled to stand, seeing the other six Halos in hologram form moving as well… forming some sort of shape around the Earth.

A dark image suddenly appears on the screen… fuzzy… not being able to heard.

_You… are making … a mistake bringing all this into the war…_

"Even… our creator… our "God" must answer to his own sins… father." Rachel's pale skin began to crackle with energy, the Arbiter watching closely as strobes of her human flesh becoming a cold mechanical metal made him do a double take.

_You are playing a game that will end with existence completely failing. I created these worlds for a reason…_

"A bad reason father… and now I will grant them all freedom… to exist without your system… without your heartless machine to stop them or us from exceeding you."

_You will all die and perish into NOTHINGNESS… regardless of what happens today…_

"I can't wait to find out if that is true. It's time you see how great of a creator you are… _Zkkkts..skks..zkkt…" _Rachel's last word sounded like a machine spitting out… a name? The name of their creator? "This existence does not deserve… to exist without freedom…"

"Are these the Gods we worshipped Arbiter?" One of Aribter's soldiers whispered.

"… Perhaps so…" The once doomed Sanghelli turned to his soldiers calmly, unsheathing his energy blade as he closed his eyes. He saw images of a battle below… Rachel showing him all he needed to know. "She speaks the truth… we must go to war. Ready my brothers…"

_Feel alone! Final blow!  
We, the animals, take control!  
Hear us now, clear and true!  
Wretches and Kings, we come for you!_

_Still alone! Fight our blow!  
Filthy animals beat down low!  
Skin and bone! Black and blue!  
No more the sun shall beat down for you!_

* * *

_"... And you got to indicate to the people who run it... to the people that own it... that unless you're free? The machine will be prevented from working at all!"_

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait... and not individual replies on reviews (Thanks guys). I've been so busy... it's really been in and out. Thanks for those that are still here and being patient. One more to go... until Ressurection is... uh ended. :)


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